A Shamy Story
by GillaMariam
Summary: Amy was lonely, like really lonely. Granted she wasn't actually alone. She was for the most part surrounded by people on a regular basis. Why after so many years of truly being alone, by her self alone, did she feel this way?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

**Author's Note:** I don't own any part of TBBT. Sadly, I just obsess about it. This story will be mainly from Amy's perspective as I feel I can more easily understand how she feels. What Sheldon's thinking, who knows? Please forgive any mistakes, I am self-editing.

Amy was lonely, like really lonely. Granted she wasn't actually alone. She was for the most part surrounded by people on a regular basis. But within her group of friends she felt alone. It was stupid really. Why now? Why after so many years of truly being alone, by her self alone, did she feel this way? She had a wonderful group of friends, and the biggest stunner of them all, she had a boyfriend. Amy Farrah Fowler had a boyfriend!

Dr. Sheldon Copper was her boyfriend, had been for over a year now. She was absolutely mad over him too. He was tall and handsome and smart. Smarter than her and that never happened. Thankfully she had more "street smarts" so it pretty much evened them out. They spent a ton of time together, a lot of which was just the two of them. They had their monthly date nights and several shared interests. Trips to the zoo, games or experiments they invented and of course youtube was a much better place thanks to their hundreds of fun and informational podcasts.

But it was the times that they were together with their group of friends that Amy felt lonely. Like right now. Everyone was hanging out after dinner in Sheldon and Leonard's apartment. Sheldon was of course in his spot and Amy was in her's. Though not official everyone always let her have the seat on the couch beside him. Penny was sitting in the beige armchair with Leonard sitting right next to her in his desk chair, which he had wheeled as close as physically possible to Penny. All night he had been teasing and flirting with her. Touching her whenever the opportunity arose, nothing overly passionate, just little touches to her knee or arm. A few stolen kisses as well.

Howard and Bernadette sitting to Amy's right were the same. Married just 4 months now and they couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other. They "played it cool" after a stern lecture from Sheldon about their over the top PDA's. But they still shared their little looks and affections. Amy was sure that was what made her lonely.

After a year of officially dating Sheldon still didn't feel the need to share physical affections with Amy. He never scooted closer to her on the couch. If he did ever accidentally touch her, he would pull away like he had been burned and apologize profusely. Even after Amy had hinted, implied and outright stated that she was not bothered by his touch. In fact she had requested it from time to time.

She would wager a kiss or cuddle session in a negotiation. Or if she was feeling sad about something she would implore Sheldon to hug her. Occasionally he relented but more often than not he would refuse. These were the times when she felt her heat rip a little more. What was the point of having a boyfriend who was little more than a friend? Not even a friend with benefits.

As she sat in the living room of 4A that night Amy was certain of one thing. She couldn't continue like this. Jealous of her two best friends and their relationships. Envious that she was never showered with hugs and kisses. I mean come on! How is it even possible that she was jealous over Bernadette when she was married to Howard, a lowly engineer with only a master's degree?

She was going to have to confront Sheldon. Just not tonight, it would be best to settle these things without an audience. Besides she wasn't ready yet. She needed to fully prepare herself for the worst case scenario; if she told Sheldon how she truly felt and he remained unwilling to change she would have to break up with him. Even as she thought about the possibility, she was sad. She felt her eyes prick and looked over at her boyfriend. He was debating something with Leonard at the moment and unaware of her gaze. She longed to feel closer to him, to feel his warm touch. But now she settled for the little she could get away with, she slyly scooted a tiny bit closer to him allowing their legs to just barely touch. It was nothing really, but it was all she had.

Amy's sad expressions and subtle touching of Sheldon may have gone completely unnoticed by him. But it was never missed by Penny and Bernadette. They had watched Amy vie for Sheldon's attentions for many years now and it broke their hearts to see her hurt.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the lovely reviews. I was so excited to see how many people read. Don't worry everyone this story is nowhere near over. Just prepare yourself for a good bit of angst. One night when I couldn't sleep I played this all out in my head, so I know where it's going just have to get it written down. ~Incase you weren't sure I in no way own TBBT.

It was 6:57pm on Date Night when Amy heard the all too familiar succession of knocks on her door.

Amy couldn't help but smile. Sheldon was supposed to pick her up at 7 o'clock and he was completely punctual as always. It was things like this that she loved about him. Some women wouldn't enjoy having such a predictable and structured mate, but Amy liked habit and routine. Maybe not as much as Sheldon but there was comfort in it, the future could be a very daunting thought, full of unknowns. But patterns and routine helped to make some of it predictable and that helped to calm Amy.

It had been 3 weeks since Amy had decided to confront Sheldon. She had never been a procrastinator, but this was hard. She was truly afraid that Sheldon would choose his routine and their original Relationship Agreement over her needs. So each time she had bucked up the courage to speak with him, he had done or said something that kept her quiet. Like now, she had intended to sit him down straight away to discuss their situation, but suddenly she just wanted to go out to eat with her boyfriend who was always on time. Once again Amy held her tongue.

Today's date night was very nice. They went to have dinner at Sheldon's favorite Chinese restaurant, then to an art showing at a local gallery. This was a bit of a departure from their usual date night but Amy had suggested the art showing, since one of her colleagues from the lab had some paintings on display.

It was a lovely showing, but the old feelings of lonesomeness had crept back in. There was a chill to the night and several times Amy had considered snuggling into Sheldon's side for warmth, only to remember that he would most certainly not approve of such things. Amy watched the other couples in the gallery. So much so that she really couldn't even speak to what the paintings were like. Sheldon inspected each painting one by one as Amy trailed behind him.

She saw the other couples hold hands and hug. There were small kisses exchanged and whispering in ears. They all seemed so happy. Laughing and teasing each other. If Amy ever tried to be flirty or tease Sheldon he always ended up taking her so literally, it was all so lost on him.

'That's it' she thought, 'I am talking to him tonight'.

Amy caught up with Sheldon and slipped her hand in his. Surprised, he looked down to where their hands were interlocking. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just so happy to be here with you tonight. Isn't it lovely here?"

"Yes, I have enjoyed this outing. Thank you for suggesting we come." With that Sheldon gave Amy's hand a quick squeeze and released it, walking ahead to the next exhibit.

'Well at least he didn't freak out or lecture me' Amy thought. She let a tiny flame of hope glow that he would be open to expanding their physical relationship.

Later that evening they arrived back to Amy's apartment and she invited him in for their usual night cap, Yoo-Hoo. As they drank they enjoyed discussing their views about the art show and the events of the evening. As they sat on her couch Amy couldn't help but to wonder what it would be like to kiss Sheldon, like really truly kiss and be kissed by him. Sure they shared a few quick pecks, all of which had been initiated by her, and all ended way too soon. Just once she wanted Sheldon to kiss her first, or for him to truly reciprocate a kiss from her.

"Amy, I had a wonderful time tonight. Another successful date night, but I must be going now." He said as he started to get up.

"Sheldon, just a moment." Sheldon paused and Amy made her move, quickly and carefully she slipped closer to him and planted her lips to his, and waited. Maybe if she gave him some time he would realize what she wanted. So she waited. She waited so long, that it was actually awkward as after about ten seconds Sheldon pulled back.

"What was that for?"

"Nothing really, I just wanted to kiss you."

"Amy, you know that kissing isn't sanctioned in our Relationship Agreement."

Amy felt embarrassed, but even more so she was mad. She jumped to her feet and began pacing in front of the couch. Sheldon surprised and little scared of her reaction sat perfectly still.

"I can't do this, I can't do this! Don't you ever just want to kiss me? Do you find me attractive at all?"

"Amy, you know I am attracted to you. Your mind is a very beautiful thing."

"Not my mind Sheldon! Me! Don't you have any physical attraction to me?"

"Amy our relationship is one of the minds. How I feel about your physical body is not important."

"It is to me! Sheldon I can't keep going like this. I am a human woman. I have needs, desires." Sheldon was looking very uncomfortable now.

"What are you saying Amy?"

"I'm saying I want to amend our relationship agreement to include a physical relationship"

"But that's not possible"

"Why not?"

"Right now our relationship agreement is perfectly suited to meet out needs."

"No Sheldon! It's perfectly suited for your needs. I need kisses, and hugs, and perhaps even coitus!"

Sheldon looked faint. So Amy took a deep breathe to calm herself, and sat back on the couch.

"Sheldon please I need more from our relationship."

"I'm sorry Amy, but I have nothing more I can give to you. I'm afraid our current agreement stands."

"No"

"I'm Sorry, but what do you mean by no?"

"Sheldon, I want to break up." Amy stood and walked to her desk at the far wall. She pulled the top drawer open and removed her copy of the Relationship Agreement. She walked back over to Sheldon and handed it to him.

"Take it. The relationship is over."

Sheldon didn't take it for several beats. He seemed confused. When he finally relieved it from her hand her looked her straight in the eye. "But I don't want to break-up."

Amy lost it then. She sat down on the coffee table put her head in her hands and began to cry. "Sheldon, I can't keep this up. I'm lonely all the time. I have a boyfriend for the first time in my life and I feel more alone now than when I was single."

Amy looked up into Sheldon's face. She wiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks but they didn't subside. Sheldon wasn't crying. She had never seen him cry. But he did look very pale.

"But I don't want to break up." He repeated in almost a whisper.

"But you won't touch me?"

"Amy, I… I just want it to stay the same." Sheldon's voice shook.

"It can't. I need more. Sheldon please go." Amy turned her body so she wouldn't have to look into his face. "Please go."

Sheldon stood slowly and turned towards the door. Briefly pausing to look back, before he left.

Amy began to cry again. Full body sobs. What had she done? Now she was completely alone. She had just sent away the only boy who ever wanted to be her boyfriend, even if it was just relationship of their minds. Now she had nothing.

Amy cried like that for what felt like hours. She didn't move from that spot until she thought she might fall over from exhaustion. Slowly she gathered herself and stood to go to bed. That's when she saw it. Sheldon had left the relationship agreement on her couch. She scooped it up and pressed it against her.

Then she carried it to bed with her. She slept with it that night, something she hadn't done since the first night Sheldon had given it to her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

**Author's Note:** Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews. They totally made my day! I went straight home and wrote another chapter. Hope you enjoy. TBBT is not mine.

Leonard was really starting to worry about Sheldon. It had been almost two weeks since the break up and he was still mopping around. He seemed alright to most people. He got up, got dressed. He ate and went to work. But his friends knew he it was just a show. His eyes were void of life and he seldom spoke.

He went to work, but mostly he just sat at his desk and stared into nothing. It was really starting to creep Raj out. He had tried countless times to engage Sheldon in some sort of conversation. Comic books, TV shows, movies. Raj had even begun to make blatant mistakes on Sheldon's white board to rouse him. But nothing had worked.

At dinner Sheldon sat in his spot and ate his dinner but he avoided all conversation and eye contact. The guys even ordered Thai food on pizza night to try and shake him out of his silence. But Sheldon didn't seem to notice. He just ate his dinner and went to bed.

Leonard felt terrible. He remembered his first broken heart and knew that there wasn't really anything he could say or do to help his friend. He could only wait and be there for him, when Sheldon was ready to talk about it.

At first Leonard had been angry at Amy. He wanted to march right over to her apartment and yell at her. How dare she break his heart like that! But Penny had talked him down. She had gone to Amy's to find out what had happened.

She had returned with similar tales of heartbreak. Now Leonard just felt bad for both of them. He had noticed that Amy seemed to long for more attention from Sheldon. He should have seen this coming from a mile away. Now all he could do was try to help Sheldon while Penny and Bernadette tried to help Amy.

Amy wasn't doing much better herself. Sure it was her idea to break up. But she was heartbroken too. Was she that hideous to him that he wouldn't even consider touching her?

Why had she been so stupid to even think she could ever have a boyfriend? Alfred Tennyson was so full of shit. All that stuff about how it was better to have loved and lost, was such garbage. Amy was absolutely positive that she could have gone her whole life without feeling this bad.

Amy had taken a few days off from work at first and thrown herself into grieving the loss f her relationship. But Penny and Bernadette had nagged her. "Get dressed you'll feel better." "Eat something, you'll feel better." "Do some work it will take your mind off of it"

It hadn't helped but she knew she couldn't hide forever. So she had gone back to her life PS, as she called it, pre-Sheldon.

Amy threw herself into her work and was churning out papers and moving ahead with so many new experiments, she never had a moment to think about Sheldon and how much she missed him during the day. Nights were hard though, and often she worked on through just to keep her mind occupied. She stopped eating and barely had enough time to run a comb through her hair. She looked bad, she knew it. But who cares? It wasn't like she was a beauty queen before. Hell she couldn't even get her own boyfriend to touch her.

Damn it she let that thought slip now, back to work.

Penny was torn. She watched helplessly as two of her close friends disintegrated right in front of her. Sheldon seemed to have given up and disappeared into his mind, and Amy had disappeared into her work.

Penny and Bernadette and insisted that Amy get back to her life to help her move on but who knew she would take that one so far. Still she tried. They attempted to take Amy out for dinner or girl's night. They had sleepovers at Amy's but she either kept working or seemed so put out they always ended early.

After they had first broken up, Penny had completely understood. She knew Amy needed more from Sheldon. She saw how oblivious he had been towards Amy's growing loneliness. Yet now she couldn't help but think this was such a huge mistake. They clearly were lost without each other. But she didn't know how to help bring them back together. Sheldon was non communicative these days and Amy would just change the subject.

And even if they could get back together, would Sheldon ever be able to fully be Amy's boyfriend? Penny knew that below that quirky exterior Amy was a woman. They had spoken about it before. Amy wanted a traditional life in the long run. She wanted to get married and have a family. Things that Sheldon may never be able to give.

So things continued this way for months. Sheldon was withdrawn from his friends and Amy withdrew more and more.

She spent less and less time with Penny and Bernadette. She wouldn't go over to Penny's apartment, afraid she would run into Sheldon, and whenever they hung out it was always a little strained. It was hard for Penny and Bernadette to talk about their lives avoiding the subject of Sheldon. As time passed they saw each other less and less. Amy just wasn't strong enough to be around them, knowing their relationships were going so well, where hers had failed. Knowing they had spent time with Sheldon. Her Sheldon that she still so desperately missed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four;

**Author's Note:** Wow lots of hits last chapter, not many reviews. I hope you guys aren't hating this too much. This is an angst story, so it's gonna get worse before it gets better. Hang in there.

TBBT is not mine, I just like to play. I know next to nothing about what Amy does so please forgive me any inaccuracies as far as her work and the jobs of people who work with her.

Three Months after the breakup Amy's life changed.

Amy was still working like crazy but was slowly getting back to her old self. She was able to sleep more and had been eating, so she looked and felt better.

Then one day out of the blue she came into work to find a new coworker.

"Dr. Fowler, I'm Dr. Jake Benton. It's so great to meet you! I have been a great fan of your work for so long. It's an honor just to be here!" the man gushed.

Dr. Benton, or Jake as he preferred to be called, was a transfer from the east coast and a fairly successful Neurobiologist himself.

Amy couldn't help but feel flattered by all of his compliments. He was a few years younger than her and seemed very eager to work and learn from her. He followed her around and asked a ton of questions. Amy found that she enjoyed the company and the attention. It had been awhile since someone had given her their full attention. These thoughts lead her mind back to memories of Sheldon. The way they would hang out or even just Skype for hours on end, she still missed him.

Amy shook her head in an effort to clear out these thoughts. She couldn't let herself think like that anymore. She needed to move on and try to be happy.

Over the next few weeks Amy found that working with Jake did make her happy. He was very funny and a great help with her research. It was nice to have a friend again. Not that she wasn't still friends with Penny and Bernadette. She tried to stay in touch with them, but sometimes it just seemed like work.

Being friends with Jake was easy. They spent all day together at work so there was no scheduling to do. And he knew nothing of her failed relationship with Sheldon so she didn't have to worry about him bringing that up. She was free to act as happy and as carefree as she wanted. It was so easy to pretend like her heart was not broken.

As time went by Amy started to get the feeling that Jake was hitting on her. It was a stupid thought. Jake was very handsome, and smart. He wasn't anywhere near Sheldon smart and wasn't as tall as Sheldon either. But he also didn't have Sheldon's baggage. He was fun; he liked to joke around and didn't mind acting silly. He was very much a free spirit and never seemed tied to any routines. He could have any girl he wanted, Amy was sure of that, so why did she get the feeling that he was flirting with her.

She couldn't be sure at all she had no personal experience with being hit on, but she had watched it happen to Penny countless times. Jake would compliment her all the time; he would tease her and even had a habit of touching her. When he joked around he would touch her arm or back. Sometimes at lunch he would take her hand as they sat across from each other. Then there had even been a few times that he had hugged her. She always chalked them up to excitement over a successful experiment. But they often lingered in their embrace and it even seemed that he had smelled her hair a time or two.

She was probably hallucinating or something. There was like zero chance that a guy like Jake would ever be interested in her, she was positive of that. Positive at least until the day he asked her out on a date.

Sheldon's life moved forward as well. Time heals all wounds they say, but how much time would it take to heal an invisible wound. How long before he was sure that his heart no longer had a gaping hole in it? Ridiculous really, as Sheldon knew it was a physical impossibility for emotions to wound his heart. It was his treacherous brain that made him sad. It was his stupid eidetic memory that would recall all the happy memories of his time with Amy. Pulling up snapshots of her smile and her laugh, Sheldon used to love his brain, these days he wished it didn't work so well.

A few weeks after the breakup Leonard had called in Sheldon's mother to try and "fix" him. Sheldon was still pretty pissed off about that. What was Leonard's fascination with tattling to his mother anyway?

Mary Cooper, always the dutiful mother, had come out on the next flight and spent almost a week with them. She had "fattened" Sheldon right up with her wonderful cooking and had forced him to talk about his feelings for hours. But in the end she couldn't fix him either. Nobody could, outside of Amy that is.

Sheldon was pretty sure that one day his mother had gone to speak with Amy. He had briefly overheard a conversation she had had with Penny. She had told Penny she understood and wasn't angry with Amy. She asked Penny to continue looking out over Amy and she would speak to Shelly.

But she hadn't. Whatever his mother had seen or spoken to Amy about, she never mentioned it to Sheldon. She didn't even tell him of their meeting. Sheldon never asked ,he was afraid to know. Amy had cut off all communication and had un-friended him on Facebook. He still checked on her page though. He just hacked into Penny's account whenever he needed a fix. Mostly he found that she wasn't on the social site much and hardly ever updated her status.

He missed her a lot. It seemed like he may never feel normal again. At first he had been so angry with her. She was being unreasonable! They had a perfect relationship, so why did she have to go ruining everything with her baser urges? Sheldon had stewed over that one for awhile. Slowly the anger melted and was replaced with sadness and guilt over not working harder to keep her.

Every once and awhile he would inquire to Penny about her. Penny obviously took her "sisterhood" pact or whatever very seriously as she gave up little information and simply implored him to give Amy her space.

And time passed. Sheldon made it through each day one minute at a time and tried to think about her less and less. If she could get along without him, he could do the same.

***Sorry to be bringing you guys down. Stay tough and we'll get there.****


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

It was official Amy Farrah Fowler had a boyfriend, again. This was totally crazy, as a child she never dreamed she'd have a boyfriend much less a second one. Especially one as cool as Jake was, and he was really cool. He didn't watch Star Trek, didn't read comic books and had only seen the Star Wars movies once as a teenager. He new all about pop culture and new bands, people and songs Amy had never heard of.

All this and he was still her boyfriend, Amy was very smitten. They had gone on three dates before he asked her to be his girlfriend. It was such a shock. This relationship was moving at warp speed compared to her relationship with Sheldon. The best part had to be that Jake enjoyed hugging and kissing her. They had already made it to second base by their fifth date, and Amy could tell they would be doing a lot of making out in the future.

Tonight was their seventh date and Amy was buzzing with excitement. Jake had told her to dress up; he was going to take her out somewhere nice. Amy had spent the better part of yesterday rooting through all of her clothes looking for something "nice" to wear, only to find she owned nothing remotely appropriate. That's when she called for back-up.

Penny and Bernadette were thrilled to hear from Amy. It has been weeks since they had gotten together, and though it was a little out of the blue for her to call requesting a lunch date and some shopping they were all to happy to go.

Over lunch Amy broke the news to her friends about Jake. At first they seemed a bit taken aback but the more Amy told them about Jake the more they seemed happy for her. They were just as excited as she was by the time they went shopping.

Penny was so happy for Amy. She really seemed to be in a good place and her new boyfriend sounded really sweet and surprisingly normal. While shopping Penny couldn't help but notice that Amy seemed ready to step out of her comfort zone. She was trying on dresses that were tighter, shorter and more revealing than her standard attire. Nothing crazy of course, in fact most things would still be considered very conservative, just compared to her other clothes, Amy was really stepping it up.

After three or four stores Amy found the dress she was looking for. It was a short sleeved black dress with a scoop neck. Not cleavage bearing, but it showed off her lovely collar bones. It was also fairly form-fitting through the top then flared out at the hips. The skirt ended just above her knees and had beautiful white flowers embroidered on the bottom.

When Amy emerged from the dressing room they all knew this was the one. She twirled around and giggled as she admired herself in the mirror. She was practically glowing.

"Amy you look beautiful."

"Absolutely stunning!" Penny and Bernadette cooed.

Amy was so happy she could only smile in response. She truly felt beautiful and she knew Jake would appreciate the new dress.

The girls finished up their shopping finding Amy some cute kitten heels and a shawl to go with her new dress.

Back at her apartment Amy showered and put on her make-up like Penny had taught her. She was just adding the finishing touches when she caught sight of her self in the mirror. If only Sheldon could see her now.

Whoa… where did that come from? She hadn't thought about Sheldon all day, but now she couldn't stop herself. She wondered if he would like her new dress. If he would think she looked beautiful, the way Jake always said she did.

Then she began to wonder what he might be doing tonight, and she couldn't decide whether or not to hope that Penny or Bernadette would let it slip that she was dating again. On the one hand she didn't want to hurt him. But on the other she thought maybe it would spark some kind of jealousy in him and maybe, just maybe he would come find her on her date and profess his love for her. Kind of like when she went on those dates with Stewart.

No! She had to stop thinking like that. It had been months since they had broken up and Sheldon had made no effort to win her back. That's what hurt the most. She really thought for awhile that he would eventually come around and convince her to give them another chance. But it never happened. Besides she was happy with Jake. She had a boyfriend who showed her affection openly and who didn't treat their relationship like some sort of business transaction.

So what if Jake wasn't always on time like Sheldon, or if he didn't enjoy playing counter-factuals, he was a nice guy. He was her boyfriend, and tonight he would hold her hand and kiss her.

So Amy pushed all thoughts of Sheldon out of her head and went downstairs to meet Jake. That was the other great thing about her new boyfriend he could drive.

It had been a pretty good day for Sheldon. He had worked through some tricky equations at the university and was enjoying his pizza and vintage video games when he heard Leonard and Penny come back from dinner.

He wasn't trying to eavesdrop, he just happened to hear a bit of their conversation as they came up the stairs. He did have Vulcan hearing after all.

"I can't believe she's dating!" remarked Leonard, only to be shushed by Penny. Whatever he was talking about, Penny obviously preferred to speak about it in private, and they moved quickly into her apartment.

Well now Sheldon had to know, what was so shocking to Leonard about someone dating, he was very familiar with the paradigm himself, and why didn't Penny want to discuss it in the hallway.

Very quickly and quietly Sheldon snuck out of his apartment and over to 4B. He gingerly pressed his ear to the door and hoped that no one would come up the stairs anytime soon.

"So she works with him?"

"Yeah, I guess he transferred in a month or so back. She says he's really kind and she really seems happy." Penny sure liked to gossip.

"How long have they been dating?"

"Umm, I think Amy said tonight was their seventh date…"

Sheldon didn't hear the rest, suddenly his ears were ringing. He felt like he had swallowed several heavy stones that sank straight to the bottom of his stomach. They were talking about Amy. It was Amy who was dating a coworker.

How could this be? They had only broken up a few months back. Sheldon felt sick, though he wasn't sure how he would manage to throw up those rocks in his stomach. Completely defeated he wondered back to his apartment. Where he went straight to his room and curled up in a ball on his bed. That night Sheldon cried himself to sleep.

**Author's Note:** Okay, stay calm… I promise this is a Shamy story just hang in there. I don't own TBBT.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

Her palms were clammy, her stomach felt like it was turning back handsprings, she was sweating a lot, and she was hiding in her bathroom. Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler was hiding in her bathroom, trying to figure out she ever ended up in this crazy situation.

She was a 32 year old virgin about to cash in her V-card and she felt like she was going to be sick. Why had she waited so long to do this? Surely it she wouldn't have felt this nervous as a teenager. She had waited too long built it up her mind too much. And now she was supposed to just go out into her bedroom and change her life.

At that thought a hiccup escaped. Oh, Fan-fucking-tastic! As if nauseated and sweaty wasn't sexy enough now she had stress s hiccups. Amy looked up into the mirror only to find a terrified woman staring back at her. Oh, how was she ever going to do this? She had gone into the bathroom to "freshen-up" but that was almost ten minutes ago now. She couldn't keep Jake waiting much longer. It was already weird that she had been in there so long.

"Ames are you okay in there?" Jake asked as if on cue.

"Yes, I'll be out in a minute." Amy tried to keep her voice from shaking.

She sat down on the toilet and took several deep breathes. 'It's going to be okay Amy. It's just sex. People all over the world do it everyday. And they enjoy it. Come on you can do this.'

Only slightly encouraged by her own little pep talk, Amy stood again. Dabbed herself with the hand towel, checked her teeth and hair one last time before pulling the bathroom door open.

There in her room, sitting on her bed was her boyfriend. He was so handsome sitting there; even he seemed a bit nervous. Maybe because he knew this was a big night for her. She had finally confided in him a few weeks back about her long standing abstinence. They had been making out pretty hot and heavy for awhile and Amy could tell he wanted to move forward. So she told him, best not to have any surprises.

Jake had been very understanding and sweet. Telling her they could wait as long as she needed. But she couldn't help but to feel some pressure. He clearly wanted to be with her, so Amy told herself enough was enough and they agreed tonight would be the night.

Amy slowly walked to the side of her bed and sat down beside Jake. "You know we don't have to. If you're not ready…" Jake trailed off.

"No, I'm ready. Nervous but ready." Amy sat up straight and tried to look as self assured as possible.

With that Jake tentatively leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Amy pulled him closer and then leaned back onto the bed pulling him with her.

Twenty-six minutes later Amy was no longer a virgin. What was the big deal anyway? It didn't hurt nearly as bad as she had feared, but it also wasn't as much fun as she had expected either. Maybe she just had to get used to it. She was probably doing something wrong anyway. Tomorrow she would do some research. She thought as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Amy woke up sore and alone. There was a note on her bedside table from Jake.

_Good Morning Beautiful,_

_Sorry I had to run. Need to be at the lab early this morning. I can't wait to see you there._

_XOXO_

_Jake_

It was a nice note and she was grateful that he had left it, but still Amy felt hollow. She took a long hot shower and tried not to cry. Why was she so upset? This was a normal part of life, a natural progression. So why did she feel like she had lost something? It was just weird to wake up and know that you're different. That she had given up something that she had held onto for so long, something she had guarded and something that had defined her. She was a new Amy now. She was truly a woman.

But even as she tried to soothe her anxious feelings with positive self talk, another little voice was piping in.

'It would have been better with Sheldon. It would have meant something if you had lost your virginities together. Now you're just another notch in Jake's belt.' The voice taunted. She recognized the voice, it was her mother's voice. The voice in her head that had kept her down for so long. No, no, no she couldn't listen to this anymore. And what the hell, since when was her mother on Sheldon's side anyway. As far as she was concerned, Amy and Sheldon had had a very active sex life.

Shaking herself free of these thoughts Amy headed to work. She felt immensely better when she got in and let Jake hold her in a tight embrace for a bit. It was okay that she was a new person, because she was a new woman with a wonderful boyfriend.

***** Okay, don't kill me… I know this is not great. Ideally to me Amy would have her first time with Sheldon. But that is a different story. This is how the story played out in my head, and I felt I had to stay true to how it came to me. But the help say I'm sorry, I'm going to go ahead and post the next chapter too. ************


	7. Chapter 7

**** So sorry everyone! I said at the end of the last chapter I would go ahead and post this one. Then I was distracted away from my computer and totally forgot I hadn't uploaded it. Yikes!" Here you go hope this helps...

Chapter Seven:

Amy's and Jake's relationship seemed to being doing well. They had been together for almost three months now, and they had even been out on a 'triple-date' with Penny, Leonard, Howard and Bernadette.

It had been very nice to spend time with her old friends, and they got on well with Jake. Amy was really beginning to feel like her life might be going the way she had always hoped it would.

But within a few weeks things seemed to change. Amy and Jake still spent time together, but it was becoming less and less. They were intimate often but Amy had the distinct feeling that Jake was pulling away from her. Feeling scared Amy had tried to cling to him, only to feel him pull further away.

"He probably just needs some space. Give him some time, and try to relax. Being needy will only drive him away" Penny had advised.

And Amy was trying her best. She didn't complain when he failed to call her or cancelled their dates last minute. She remained as calm and up beat as she could even as he began working on other projects with other people.

Eventually it got to the point that they only seemed to see each other for a couple of nightly visits a week. Amy knew that she shouldn't allow him to come over for sex when their relationship was falling apart, but she couldn't stop herself. She needed to hold onto whatever little part of him that she could.

Then one night after one his 'visits' he got up to leave.

"Can't you stay the night? Surely you don't have to be to work tomorrow, it's Saturday." Amy almost pleaded.

Jake looked at her for a few minutes then sat down beside her on the bed. "Amy, we need to talk."

Oh shit this was not going to be good. Amy felt her stomach plummet, but she sat up straighter and tried to prepare herself.

"Amy I really care about you. It's just that I have been offered a big promotion if I return to my old lab in New York. They have been impressed with the work I've done here and they really want me back."

Amy was sure she was going to be sick.

"I have decided to take the offer. I need to do this, you see, for my future."

"Well what about us?" Amy squeaked

"It's been great, but I don't think long-distance is going to work. Ames you must understand. You have been a great girlfriend, but I need to do this."

Amy felt like she had been kicked in the stomach. All she could do was nod, and try to hold in her tears as Jake stood to leave.

"When will you go?" She finally managed to get out.

"The day after tomorrow."

"What!" Now Amy was pissed!

"How can you be leaving in two days and not have said something to me?"

"Ames don't be mad. I just didn't know how to bring it up." Jake was back-peddling now.

"That's such complete shit!" She swore as she jumped to her feet and began to pace.

"You are such a slime ball! Being head hunted for work we did together, and you don't even have the decency to tell me! You know what just get out! I can't look at you anymore!" by now Amy was screaming.

"Come on don't be like that"

"Out! Get out! Now!" Amy yelled as she pushed Jake from her apartment.

After slamming the door shut, she leaned against it to drag in a desperate breath. Then she sank to the floor and cried.

How could she have been so stupid? She had let this man into her life, let him use her. Gave him her virginity and for what? A slap in the face as he left.

Her mother was right after all.

For the whole next day Amy moped around her apartment succumbing to crying jags often. But when she woke up on Sunday, she knew she had to move on. She couldn't spend another month of her life crying over a man. She had to make herself happy. So Amy got up, got dressed and went somewhere she knew would bring a smile to her face, the zoo.

She hadn't been there in ages, not since she had last gone with Sheldon. But she used to go all the time. She didn't' mind going alone, it meant she could spend all the time she wanted in her favorite area, the primate exhibit. After wandering around for a good part of the afternoon, she found a nice bench just outside of the gorilla habitat and sat down to rest her legs.

That's where Sheldon found her.

**Author's Note:** Things are looking up. TBBT is not mine.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay in updating. I've been a bit under the weather and the medicines were making my brain foggy. Feeling better now, feel like I've got my momentum back. TBBT is not mine. Hope you enjoy .

Chapter Eight:

It had been a little over seven months since Amy had ended their relationship, seven months since he had spoken to her, seen her beautiful smile; seven long months. But things were getting better, slowly. Some days he could go almost the whole day without thinking about her, some days the pain of losing her felt like no more than a dull ache, not the sharp stabbing pain it had once been.

Today was not one of those days. For some reason from the moment he had awoken this morning she had been on his mind. As he ate his breakfast he wondered if she was still working on her addiction studies. While he got dressed he wondered if she still wore the same perfume, something with a soft flowery scent. He tried to focus and get some work done, yet his mind kept wondering back to her.

'Maybe if I just get out and do something.' He thought. So he pulled on his windbreaker and headed out for a walk. Without thinking he had ended up at the zoo. Peculiar, he hadn't been to the zoo since his last visit with Amy. He didn't even realize he had been missing it. But now that he was here, it seemed like the perfect way to lift his spirits. He was almost giddy over the thought of checking in on his favorite little furry friends the koalas.

They were just as adorable as he remembered, and he spent the better part of two hours just mindlessly watching them. Sadly his tranquil fun came to an end as a large group of children came to watch as well. They were noisy and rambunctious so Sheldon thought it was best to move on. As he headed toward the main gate he saw the signpost for the primate habitat. Amy's favorite. Just as he could spend hours admiring the koalas she had always enjoyed watching the monkeys and gorillas. They were okay, he guessed but nowhere near as cute as the koalas. He also never understood how she could want to spend anymore time watching them, when she did that quite frequently at work.

Yet today he was drawn to them. 'I'll just take a quick look around. There's plenty more time to kill this afternoon.'

Sheldon was so immersed in his thoughts he didn't see her until he was nearly within ten feet of the bench she was sitting on. He stopped short and his breathe caught in his throat. There she was, Amy Farrah Fowler. Sitting just a few feet from him, it suddenly felt like it had been forever since he had last seen her, and yet she looked exactly the same. She didn't seem to see him as she was watching the gorillas very intently.

So Sheldon took the opportunity to gaze upon her. It was within that moment that all of the hurt and sadness had hit him head on like a freight train. He missed her so much and there she was, within earshot. Yet some how he could not find his voice, so he just watched her. She was so beautiful; he had almost forgotten how beautiful she actually was. Her dark straight hair glistened in the light of the late afternoon sun and Sheldon wondered, not for the first time, if it was as soft as it looked. He had come in contact with it on occasion and he remembered distinctly that it had smelled of apples the night that they had cuddled on her couch, but he had never really touched it, run his hands through it.

He could see that she was twisting something in her hands, as he looked closer he noticed it was a tissue. Was she sick? His focus shifted back to her face, looking for signs of illness. He saw none, her nose wasn't red, and she wasn't sniffling. But she did look sad. Sheldon had seen her sad face enough times to have memorized it, and she was definitely sad.

Realizing this Sheldon moved toward her, his feet shuffled forward almost of their own accord and within seconds he was standing nearly in front of her. She still had not noticed him, so he called to her.

"Amy?" It had come out as almost a whisper, as if he was any louder he might just scare her off, or she maybe she would just disappear, turning out to be nothing more than hallucination.

Then she was looking at him, straight in the eye and he knew that she was real and that he had truly missed her.

"Hi Sheldon."

"Hi" There was so much to say but nothing more would come out.

"Did you come to see the gorillas too?"

"I was just leaving the koala exhibit and thought I would stop by. What are you doing here?"

"I was just thinking. Life's troubles don't seem nearly as complicated when you watch the baby gorillas play."

"May I sit?" Sheldon asked motioning to the spot beside her on the bench.

"Yes, of course." Amy smiled and patted the bench.

After he sat Sheldon was at a complete loss for words. He didn't know where to go from here, so he just sat and waited, and waited and waited. Apparently Amy was just happy to sit quietly and continue watching the family of gorillas. But the silence was pawing at Sheldon, there was just too much that needed to be said. And the longer he waited to more intensely he felt this, he tried to remain quiet, let her be the first to speak, but then it just slipped out…

"I missed you." Something so simple and such a giant understatement.

Amy turned to him then and smiled, she smiled her beautiful warm smile that always made him feel so safe. "I missed you too." She said, then without warning she reached over and took one of his hands between both hers. Lacing on set of fingers with his while the hand simply rested on top.

Sheldon was shocked; he could only stare down to where their hands met. They were not on a ledge, he had not yet won the Nobel Prize and neither of them was getting a flu shot. This was clearly a violation of their relationship agreement.

Then it hit him, they didn't have a relationship agreement anymore. She wasn't his girlfriend. Their relationship, at this point if you could even call it that, was completely unregulated.

She had ended their first relationship because of these thoughts, because he had denied her things like this. As he continued to stare at their interlocking fingers, it seemed so completely silly that he had let something so small get between them, that he had chosen personal space over her. After all this wasn't so bad. Sitting here with Amy, holding her hand, it felt right. He felt like a piece of himself had been missing and now he had it back.

He would not lose Amy again, no matter what; Sheldon vowed to himself, he would find a way to keep her.

***Yay! Shamy! Hope this chapter wasn't too sappy for you guys. But don't get to thinking it's all rainbows and unicorns from here on out. Dum, dum, dum….


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

Author's Note: Sorry for another delay in updating. I got so distracted after seeing the promo for episode 5X16 I couldn't focus on anything else until I watched it (multiple times).

It was Thursday mid- afternoon and Amy was desperate for time to move faster. Four days ago she had run into Sheldon at the zoo and they quickly fallen back into their friendship. They had communicated daily since that Sunday. Mostly they had just texted each other but it felt like old times again. It was so wonderful having Sheldon back in her life, she was actually pretty furious with herself for every breaking it off in the first place. She had been foolish to think there was something more for her out there, something better. There was nothing better than Sheldon, he was everything to her.

She had missed his sense of humor so much. It was great fun to get his messages through out the day updating her on the shenanigans of Raj, Howard and Leonard. It was also so nice to have someone she could talk about her day with. Sure, in the past, Sheldon had said some less than respectful things about the field of biology, but in general he seemed interested in her work and her day to day life.

And best of all he had invited her over for pizza night tonight. Amy was practically buzzing with excitement. It had been forever since she had been able to hang out with the whole gang; she missed them all so desperately. This of course was really strange since often she found Howard's comments off putting, Leonard's constant whining was tedious, and Raj hardly spoke directly to her, even when drinking. Still she missed them and was over the moon about pizza night.

Amy got the feeling that her showing up tonight would be a bit of a surprise for the group. She, herself, hadn't mentioned her renewed friendship with Sheldon to either Penny or Bernadette. It's not that she was trying to keep it a secret or anything. She was just so nervous to make some sort of misstep and end up driving Sheldon away. The relationship still seemed very fragile and she was going to handle it with care. Additionally she had not yet fully disclosed how she and Jake had broken up to her girlfriends. She had briefly mentioned it to Penny but had not gone into full detail, afraid to set off another crying jag.

She was also pretty sure that Sheldon hadn't told anyone. He was an extremely private person, and had made no mention to her about other's reactions or having told Leonard.

So here she was at work at 2:15pm and at a complete loss for focus. Screw it, she thought, as she began packing up for the day. I am gonna call it an early day go home and freshen up before heading over to Sheldon's. She wanted to get there early anyway. If she was going to be a surprise she would rather be there from the start, rather than walk into the middle of the group. She didn't enjoy being in the spotlight like that.

It was still only 5pm when Amy knocked on the door of apartment 4A. She had spent as much time as possible going home, showering and changing, she wanted to wear her best cardigan, and she was still about an hour early. She just couldn't wait any longer.

Despite daily electronic communication, Amy had not seen Sheldon since Sunday and she really just wanted to lay her eyes on him. She wanted to see that goofy smile and know for sure this wasn't a dream; she really had her friend back.

After just two knocks the door flew open and there was Sheldon grinning at her.

"Amy, I'm so glad you could make it!" Sheldon gushed. He seemed to be almost as excited as she was.

He didn't immediately move out of the way to allow her entrance; instead, he moved slightly toward her and raised an arm. For a split second Amy thought he might embrace her. But just as suddenly he seemed to come to his senses. He quickly patted her on the shoulder and let his hand fall away.

Her heart was racing. Had he thought about hugging her? She took a deep breath to try and calm the fluttering of her heart as he finally stood back and indicated for her to enter. Amy took a long look around and relaxed. It was just the same; of course this is Sheldon's apartment after all. Amy rolled her eyes to herself, what had she expected? That he had perhaps rearranged? This thought caused a tiny giggle to escape.

"What's funny?" Sheldon asked looking too, as if he were on the verge of laughter.

"Nothing, nothing, I'm just happy to be here. Where is everyone else?"

"Oh they should be along soon. Leonard is picking up the pizzas and should be back within the half hour."

Sheldon stopped for a second and just looked at her, making a deep eye contact that nearly made Amy swoon.

"Come, sit, and tell me about your day." Sheldon motioned to the couch and led the way. He sat down in his spot and watched expectantly as she joined him, sitting just to his right, in her old spot. When she was settled Sheldon once again smiled at her, then launched into a very detailed and animated story about an inept lab intern he had seen mixing very inappropriate chemicals earlier in the day. Thankfully, Sheldon had set him straight before he had blown the whole university sky-high.

Amy laughed along with Sheldon as he told his story, she settled back into her spot and it just felt right.

*** Okay sorry this seems to be a bit of a filler, but I wanted some warm fuzzies. Also I just couldn't get it to go any faster. Stories are weird like that, they're gonna be what they're gonna be. Hope you enjoyed it. More soon I promise!*******


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Hi all, sorry I wanted to get this chapter up this morning before work, but FF wasn't playing nice. So I am quickly jumping on to add it at kids just went off to their Arabic lesson so I have a second. Boy I feel naughty, bad teacher. :) Anyway Really I just wanted to give other points of view for the same night as chapter 9. I just couldn't get out of Amy's head in the last chapter. But there's more there, so here we go…

Chapter Ten:

T-minus 2 hours until Amy's arrival. Sheldon had been very nervous at first to invite Amy over for dinner. But he couldn't help himself. He needed a way to see her again. It had been a wonderful week so far, texting her daily, several times a day at that. They had even skyped on Tuesday evening, but it wasn't enough, so that's when he had asked her over for dinner. He was elated when she had accepted and had been counting down the hours since. T-minus 114 minutes to AA (Amy Arrival).

Sheldon chuckled to himself a bit, he loved his mind. Sheldon had insisted that he and Leonard should leave the university directly at 4pm. He would accept no dawdling today. Leonard had simply remarked about the placement of Sheldon's undergarments before agreeing.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave today, anyway?" Leonard asked as they drove home.

"No reason, I just don't want to start pizza night late. Everyone counts on us to be there with the pizza ready when they arrive. We don't want t be poor hosts do we?"

"I suppose not." But Leonard wasn't convinced. Something was up with him. Sheldon had actually seemed happy the last few days. 'Dear lord, please don't tell me he's building another death ray.' Leonard mentally prayed.

As Leonard had left out to get the pizzas Sheldon seemed almost giddy. Maybe he had finally taken up drinking.

Now as Sheldon paced around his apartment with a little over an hour to go, he was beginning to feel nervous again. He hadn't told any of his friends about his renewed connection with Amy. He wasn't trying to be secretive or anything, he just felt it was wiser to keep this to himself, at least until he knew what 'this' was. After all he and Amy hadn't really discussed what they were. He assumed they were just boy/girl friends again but it had gone unsaid. And if anything made Sheldon anxious it was something that was undefined. Maybe he could speak to her after dinner, and really pin down where they stood.

Out of nowhere there was a knocking on his front door. It was Amy he just knew it. Sheldon practically ran to answer the door. When he opened it, he nearly lost his breath. There she was smiling up at him.

He was so over taken with the urge to embrace her he actually moved towards her and held his arm out, before he realized what he was doing. Trying to act as nonchalant as possible he quickly patted her shoulder and moved out of the way for her to enter.

'That was weird.' He thought to himself, normally he would go out of his way to avoid contact with another person. He just couldn't seem to help himself in that moment. He was just so happy she was here, back where she belonged. 'Again, where did that come from?' His traitorous mind was getting away from him.

Sheldon was thrilled that Amy had arrived early. Now they could sit and talk for a bit before everyone else arrived, and put demands on her attention. He had her all to himself for the next little bit at least.

Around 5:40 Leonard arrived back to the apartment trying to juggle three pizzas. Sheldon had placed the order and they normally only got two, what was going on with him?

Leonard struggled through the door and called out for Sheldon as he placed the pizzas on the counter.

"Pizza's here! Why the heck did we need 3, we only ever…"

The words died in his throat as Sheldon emerged from the hallway, trailed closely behind by Amy?

Leonard stood stunned for a full minute as he looked back and forth between the pair. Slowly he began to notice that Sheldon had been talking to him.

"Leonard, are you even listening to me?"

"What's that, I'm sorry?"

"I said we would need more pizza because we have another person joining us this evening. Amy's here."

Sheldon stated very matter of factly.

"Well I can see that! Amy, it's good to see you!" Leonard said as he stepped over to give her a quick hug. She obliged him, and offered "it's good to see you too. I hope you don't mind the surprise Sheldon invited me a couple days ago."

"No, of course not! Like I said it's good to see you."

Leonard was grinning from ear to ear, so this was why Sheldon had been acting so much happier the last few days. That sly dog, had rekindled things with Amy on the down-low. Leonard could only chuckle to himself as he went to get the dinner plates out.

Sheldon and Amy returned to their spots on the couch, sitting quietly, just enjoying their proximity.

The quiet was short lived though as within a few minutes in came Howard, Raj and Bernadette.

"Ahh come on Bernie, it was just a joke." Howard had obviously tittered over the line with another one of his off-colored quips.

"I just didn't think it was very funny." Bernadette stated, glaring angrily at Howard and Raj. But they were no longer making eye-contact. They seemed too fixated on something behind her, probably Leonard mouthing something. She quickly spun around to see what was so interesting only to be stopped in her tracks as well. "Amy!" It was almost a question.

Bernadette couldn't believe her eyes there on the couch were Sheldon and Amy, smiling happily up at her. Without further hesitation she hurried over to give Amy a hug. She wasn't sure what was going on but she was happy about it.

Howard and Raj also greeted Amy and said how happy they were that she had come. Raj must have already begun drinking, thought Amy.

When she looked up past them she saw Penny standing mute in the open doorway.

"Hi Bestie!" Amy beamed.

"Ames, hey you're back!" Penny moved inside to give Amy a hug and took the arm chair to the left of Sheldon.

"Yes, I ran into Sheldon over the weekend at the zoo, and he invited me." Amy quickly explained.

"Oh, well it's great to have you back." Penny stated as she helped herself to a slice of pizza.

Amy could only smile. She felt so warm and fuzzy inside, yes, she had truly missed this.

After dinner, Penny had insisted that the girls go over to her apartment for a little chat. As Amy stood, Sheldon seemed quite disheartened.

"Are you leaving already?" he asked.

"I'll just go for a quick gab session with the ladies, then I will come back over." Amy promised.

Sheldon seemed satisfied and nodded his head.

In 4B, Penny had quickly poured each of them a very full glass of wine and promptly demanded, "Okay dish. What happened with Jake? How did you make-up with Sheldon? Are you guys dating again?"

"Slow down bestie, one thing at a time." Amy explained to her friends how she had gone to the zoo to try and cheer herself up after the break-up. Then how Sheldon had come over and sat with her. She told them about their communications during the week and how they were friends right now, but hadn't really discussed it. She was really hoping that would be enough to satisfy them, but Penny was not having it.

"Okay, now tell us about Jake, all of it!"

Slowly Amy began to explain how things with Jake had gone south. How he had taken a promotion with his old company without even telling her. How he had broken her heart. Though now that she was back being friends with Sheldon, she wasn't entirely sure how much of her broken heart was caused by Jake and how much had been left over hurt from Sheldon.

"These past few days communicating with Sheldon have been so great. I hardly think about Jake at all. But when I was with Jake, I thought about Sheldon all the time." Amy paused

"I was so stupid to break-up with Sheldon. I was never over him."

"Ames don't beat yourself up. You know I did the same thing with Leonard, and look at us now. Plus we were broken up for like two years. You and Sheldon have only been apart for what like six months?"

"Yes, but.."

"But nothing. Sheldon was taking you for granted and your feelings were hurt. Don't get down on your self. You had every right to want more from your boyfriend, and if he wasn't going to give it, you had to do what you had to do. Okay?"

"Okay." Amy wasn't really sure she agreed, but she didn't want to argue. She just wanted to chat a bit more before going back to see Sheldon.

"So are you guys a couple again?" Bernadette asked

"No, we haven't discussed it yet. But he held my hand the other day, and I think he almost hugged me tonight." Amy was absolutely radiating joy as she said this.

Penny and Bernadette could only smile in reply.

After her glass of wine Amy excused herself to go back to Sheldon's. On her way over she passed Raj and Howard as they headed across the hall to collect Bernadette and return home.

Amy bid them a good night and entered 4A to find Sheldon and Leonard cleaning up. Silently she joined them and when the all the dishes were done and the left-over's put away, Leonard quickly excused himself, leaving Sheldon and Amy alone.

Amy felt like maybe she too should be getting home, but she really wanted to talk with Sheldon a bit more. He seemed likewise inclined as he went back to sit in his spot and waited for her to join him.

Amy sat and they were quiet for a few minutes, it was extremely awkward, and Amy again considered going home. Until Sheldon spoke that was.

"Are you still dating that guy?" the question was so far out of left field, she felt as if she had been slapped.

"What? How did you know about Jake?" Amy spluttered.

"Jake, hmm, a very common name." Sheldon was reaching.

Amy didn't speak; she just waited for the answer to her question.

"I overheard Leonard and Penny talking about it awhile back." He stated simply, no longer meeting her eye. "You were working with him or something." He added quietly.

"Uh, yes. Jake and I were colleagues for awhile." Amy really didn't want to discuss this further.

"Are you still together?"

"No. We broke up last week. He moved back to New York." Amy felt her voice cracking. Not with sadness over Jake, but because she was having to confess this to Sheldon. She felt as if she had betrayed him. It was totally illogical, they were broken up she had every right to date other men. Yet, it still felt like she was confessing to cheating on him.

"Good." Was all that he replied.

"What's good?"

"It's good that he's not around anymore. You don't belong with him." He stated outright.

Amy waited with baited breath was he going to say she belonged with him?

No such luck. Sheldon just stared down at his feet.

"Well I should be going." Amy stated as she stood up. She really didn't want to press her luck anymore tonight. Plus she was emotionally exhausted from explaining her break-up to Penny and Bernadette and now Sheldon.

This was enough for tonight.

"Okay, I suppose it is getting late." Sheldon said as he stood.

"Good night Amy Farrah Fowler"

"Good night Sheldon Cooper."

**** Yay, movement.. I hope everyone could follow that. I felt like I was jumping around a lot.

TBBT is not mine.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's been a week already. I've been a little stumped. The last two chapters veered off from my original plot outline and it's been hard trying to know what the next chapter would be like. TBBT is not mine, if it were there would be no hiatus.

'People are so inconsiderate these days!' Amy was mumbling to herself as she got ready for work. 'No one has any common courtesy or manners.'

Just the other day in the supermarket some careless teenager had coughed practically on top of her without apology and without even attempting to shield his mouth. The nerve! What has this world come to?

And now, of course, Amy was starting to get sick. 'Great, just Great!' This was going to mess everything up. Amy had just managed to repair her friendship with Sheldon and this was totally going to get in the way. There would be no way he was going to want to spend time with her if she was sick, not being the giant germophobe that he was.

Since she had gotten home the other night she had felt very fatigued and achy. She had a slight temperature and she was very nauseated.

"Noooo" Amy whined to herself. It was nearly the weekend and she had made plans to go to a physics lecture with Sheldon. Sure she didn't actually care about the lecture, but she was really looking to spending an entire afternoon with Sheldon.

Amy splashed some water on her face hoping that it would help her to wake up. She really needed to go to work today her addiction study was at a critical point. Giving herself a pep talk Amy headed to the living room to collect her keys and purse, only to be overcome with such a strong wave of nausea that she didn't even have time to get to the bathroom and ended up puking in her kitchen sink. "Damn it" this was the last thing she needed today.

A few bouts of vomiting later, thankfully this time in her bathroom, and Amy called out of work. That punk kid had definitely given her the flu.

When she felt that the nausea had finally passed, Amy flung herself into bed and slept most of the day away.

She wasn't even sure what time it was, but her room was very dark, when the sounds of knocking roused her from her slumber.

_Knock, knock, knock…."Amy"_

_Knock, Knock, Knock…"Amy"_

_Knock, Knock, Knock…"Amy"_

"_AMY!"_

"Dear lord, give me a minute, I'm coming!"

What had Sheldon so worked up? He must have been knocking for a few minutes, as he was practically shouting now.

When Amy finally managed to pull her front door open Sheldon practically flung himself at her. He grasped her by her shoulders and began talking so fast she could barely keep up, especially considering her raging headache.

"Sheldon! Slow down, please I have a headache, and you are only increasing its intensity."

Sheldon quietly quickly and released his grip on her shoulders.

"Are you ill?"

"I'm afraid so." Sheldon took a precautionary step backwards.

Amy sighed and went to sit on the sofa. She knew this would happen. He would be leaving soon, but to be completely honest she wouldn't mind. She desperately wanted to take a hot bath and go back to bed. Maybe she could sleep for the next hundred years or so.

"That's why you missed our skype appointment?" Sheldon inquired.

"Umm, yes I guess I overslept."

"You didn't go to work today?"

"No, Sheldon I was too busy throwing up this morning." Amy was in no mood for twenty questions.

"Fair enough, but why didn't you answer your phone when I called?"

"Sheldon, I don't know. I was sleeping, and my cell phone is in my purse way over in the kitchen."

"Well why would it be in there?" Sheldon moved into the kitchen to retrieve Amy's bag for her.

"Well that's where I dropped it when I started vomiting."

"Oh" Sheldon released the purse onto the couch like it was covered with the plague.

"Sheldon, I'm sorry but I don't feel well and would like to return to my bed. I will call you tomorrow." Amy was already heading back towards her room when Sheldon said the most shocking sentence she had ever heard uttered.

"I will stay and look after you."

Amy did a double take. "What?"

"I said that I will stay and look after you. No one should be alone when they are sick."

"Sheldon that's not necessary. I just want to sleep and you don't want to get sick."

"True, but never the less, the relationship agreement clearly states…"

Amy's face must have given away her surprise as Sheldon trailed off mid-sentence. He dropped his head and began to intently study his shoes. Amy felt aweful; he had obviously forgotten for a moment that they were no longer in a relationship.

Suddenly Amy felt like crying. She tried to take a deep breath and relax. Instead her inhale became jagged and tears streamed down her face. Once again she was reminded of her terrible mistake of having broken up with Sheldon in the first place.

She loved him so much. Here he was willing to take care of her when she was sick, despite his phobias.

Her crying shook Sheldon from his embarrassment and he was quickly by her side. "I'm sorry Amy. I didn't mean to say that. I know we're not in a relationship anymore."

Oh heavens, that only made the crying worse. Why was he apologizing to her? It was her fault after all.

"No" hiccup "No" hiccup. "I'm sorry Sheldon. It's my fault." Amy spluttered through her tears. Sheldon clearly deciding this was no time to try to one up each other with apologies stepped closer to Amy and awkwardly pulled her into his arms.

She was sick and he had only made her cry, no wonder she had broken up with him, he was such a shit boyfriend.

But that was going to change. He was going to stay here and care for her. This way he could truly show her how much she meant to him, how he would do anything to get her back.

A few minutes later Amy's crying began to subside and he led her back to her bedroom and tucked her into bed.

"Can I get you anything? Perhaps a hot beverage?"

"No thank you. I think I will just go to sleep now."

Amy felt a warm calming sensation wash over her as Sheldon once again tucked the blankets around her. He was still here. Maybe she hadn't ruined everything. Maybe they could get back what she had thrown away. Amy thought as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning when Amy awoke she felt better. Not perfect but better. She still felt a bit fatigued despite sleeping most of the previous day, and her stomach still seemed to be on some sort of rollercoaster. But even that couldn't wipe the smile off her face as remembered Sheldon's words and the care he had shown her last night.

Feeling almost giddy Amy headed to her kitchen to make some tea, only to be stopped dead in her tracks at the sight in her kitchen.

"Sheldon you're still here?" Amy was gob smacked.

"Yes, I slept on your couch. I didn't want you to wake during the night and need something, but find yourself alone." Sheldon stated as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I made you some toast and tea. I thought they might help to settle your stomach. Are you feeling better today?"

"Yes, and thank you. I don't know what to say."

"What are friends for?" Sheldon shrugged and played it cool.

Just then there was a knock at the door.

Amy looked a bit puzzled, who would be at her door this early in the morning?

Sheldon seeing the question on Amy's face spoke up. "That would be Leonard. I informed him that I was here so he has come to take me to work. Will you be alright if I go to the university?"

"Yes, Sheldon, of course go to work. I am feeling better and I will probably go to work as well."

Sheldon gave her a skeptical look but answered the door before another knock came.

Sure enough it was Leonard, but also Penny.

"Hi Bestie, what are you doing here?" asked Amy.

"Leonard told me you were sick so I thought I would drop by and see how you were." Penny pushed by Leonard and Sheldon and placed her palm to Amy's forehead.

"No fever that's good."

Leonard spoke up then, "Come on Sheldon we better hit the road or we will be late. Amy I hope you are feeling better. See you later." Leonard was clearly not kidding about not being late, as he was already exiting the apartment.

Sheldon approached Amy, but was well aware that Penny was keenly observing them so he simply patted her shoulder and told her he would call her later to check in.

Amy only nodded and watched as he left, shutting the door behind him.

"Okay spill!" Penny demanded as soon as the door clicked shut.

"Spill what?" Amy was confused by the line of questioning.

"You get sick and Sheldon spends the night? Really, what were you guys up to?"

Penny had a devilish grin on her face.

"Nothing, I promise." Amy raised her hands in surrender.

"Oh come on Amy! Something must have happened. Sheldon does not take care of sick people."

Penny followed Amy back to her bedroom. As Amy as needed to get ready to be to work on time.

"I don't know what to tell you. I was sick he came over. He tucked me in and slept on the couch."

Penny huffed in disappointment and flopped onto Amy's bed. "Fine, but are you feeling better? How were you sick anyway?"

Amy continued to get dressed as she told Penny about her symptoms and about the ill-mannered teenager who had infected her.

"Darn it!" Amy complained from within her closet.

"What's wrong?" Penny called back.

"All of my skirts feel tight. I must be bloated. Stupid PMS." Amy grabbed her slouchy skirt and pulled it on. Always good to have a looser skirt for days like this.

"PMS, really? I don't think it's that time yet." Penny looked quizzically at her friend. "Remember we are almost on the same cycle and I have almost two more weeks."

"No that can't be right, it's surely time, I haven't had my period in like…" Amy suddenly felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. It must have been more than two months now. Amy's blood felt as if had turned to ice. Her stomach turned and she raced to the bathroom.

Still leaning over the toilet she heard Penny's voice come from just outside the bathroom door.

"Oh My G-d! Amy are you pregnant!"

Amy flushed the toilet and replaced the lid. Laying her head down on it, she began to cry again. She was so stupid and everything was well and truly ruined now.

***** Okay, please don't kill me. This was always where this story was headed. It's labeled angst for a reason. Be kind don't flame me too much.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** Beware there's some cursing later in this chapter. You've been warned. TBBT is not mine.

Amy felt like her entire world had spun free of it's axis and was now on collision course with the Sun. She was pregnant!

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! How can I be so stupid!" she sobbed.

"Amy you're not stupid. These things they happen. It's going to be okay." Penny was trying her hardest to comfort her friend, but even she wondered how this could work out in any way but disaster. Sheldon was not going to handle this well at all.

When Amy had started to throw up Penny had quickly run down to the corner store and bought one of each kind of pregnancy tests that they sold. Three hours and seven positive tests later, it was all but guaranteed that Amy was preggers. Penny almost felt like vomiting herself. They weren't children anymore. Amy was a grown woman of thirty-three. She had a good job, she would be alright. But Penny could relate. She had taken her fair share of pregnancy tests in life. She knew the feeling you get as you waited for the stick to change, especially when you really need it to be negative.

When the first test had come up positive Amy had been fairly calm, maybe it was a false positive that happened. But the more she took the more horrified she became. Now she was sitting on the ledge of her bathtub sobbing and making hopeless declarations to the universe.

Penny had stayed and it helped a bit, but her presence also served as a reminder that she was going to have to tell Sheldon that she was carrying another man's baby. He would probably never speak to her again. Then there were the other people in her life that she had let down. What would her mother say? The rest of her family?

And as selfish as she knew it was, she couldn't help but to feel sad over the loss of her social life. Only in the last few years had she had cool girlfriends to party and hang out with. A baby would surely put a crimp in that. Bernadette didn't even like children, and Penny didn't seem particularly interested in them either.

All of these thoughts kept swirling through her head and pushing her closer to a full blown anxiety attack. Amy felt like her body was shaking all over and she couldn't catch her breath.

Thankfully Penny noticed her friend's distress and pulled her into a tight hug. "Just breathe Amy. It's going to be okay. I will be here for you no matter what." Penny repeated as she gently rocked Amy trying to soothe her.

Slowly Amy began to calm and she took several deep breathes. "What am I going to do? Sheldon will never forgive me."

"First of all don't worry about him right now. You need to worry about yourself. I'll tell you what you're going to do. You're going to have a baby, and you're going to love that baby to pieces. And I know you are going to be a fantastic mother."

"But..." Amy tried to interject.

"But nothing. Sheldon will just have to get over it. You've done nothing wrong you don't need to be forgiven. You two were broken up, so it's none of his business. Don't worry about him right now. Just remember that I will always be your friend and I am a wonderful Auntie." Penny swiped a few remaining tears from Amy's cheek and gave her another squeeze.

"Thank you Penny. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful friend."

"I feel the same way about you, Amy."

Before heading out that evening Penny made sure that Amy had booked an appointment to go see an O.B. "Best not to worry too much before you get the blood test. Then you can be really sure. We will worry about all that other stuff once the doctor has confirmed it. Okay?"

"Okay." Amy replied before wishing her a goodnight.

Once she was alone Amy took a few minutes to consider her new situation. She was pregnant; she was going to be a mother. Actually that sounded kind of nice, terrifying yes, but also nice. Amy had always dreamed about being a mother. Sure in her dreams she was married to the father, and they were a family. But she and her baby would be family and she couldn't be all sad about that.

Feeling a bit stronger Amy sat down at her computer to send off a quick email. Before she did anything else she had to tell Jake he was going to be a father. She didn't want to tell him in an email, so she just quickly requested a phone call, she had an urgent matter to discuss with him.

She had just pulled on her pajamas when the phone rang. Amy could feel dread building in the pit of her stomach. If it wasn't Jake calling she would have to try and sound normal to the person on the line. She wasn't ready to tell others before the doctor's appointment, but it felt like such a huge thing to keep secret.

Thankfully it was Jake. Of course Amy's appreciation of this lasted only a few seconds before she recalled the reason for their conversation. Amy wasn't feeling very chatty and she actually would have preferred never to have spoken with Jake again. But this wasn't a dramatized television show; she couldn't keep this from him.

She was quite blunt as she almost immediately blurted out "I'm pregnant. You're the father."

Her statement was followed by several moments of silence. Amy wasn't sure if he had hung up, passed out, or if he was just trying to absorb this new bit of information.

"Jake, hello, are you there?"

"Uhh, yes, yes, I'm here. I just don't know what to say. Are you sure it's mine?"

What a fucking bastard! And Amy told him so.

"What the fuck Jake! Of course it's yours. You know that you were my first, and I haven't been with someone since. G-D you're such an asshole!"

"Amy, Amy! Calm down. Look I'm sorry I was just blindsided okay. I didn't mean to imply anything. I'm sorry."

This calmed Amy a bit but she was still pretty upset. Mostly with herself, it was her fault that she was carrying this a-holes baby. And now she was going to have to put up with him for the rest of her life.

"Amy, listen I can't come back to California. My job here is everything I have ever wanted. This isn't exactly in my overall life plan, you know."

"No, Jake I don't know, cause I always thought I would have an unplanned, illegitimate baby with a complete douche bag!" Amy screamed.

Heavens she hoped none of her neighbors heard that.

"Amy, I just don't know what you want from me? I'm not ready to be a father."

Amy took a deep breath to try and cool her boiling blood; all this rage couldn't be good for the baby.

"Nothing Jake. I want nothing from you. I just thought I would be a decent person and let you know you fathered a child. But please feel free to continue living as if it didn't happen."

Amy gave him no chance to respond and slapped the phone back on to its receiver.

Well that went well she thought sarcastically to herself. And just think she still got to share the news with her mother and Sheldon, isn't life grand?

Now thoroughly exhausted mentally and physically Amy fell into bed and slept.

That night she dreamed about her baby, the new life she would bring into the world.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Amy's whole body was shaking, yet she was frozen in time and space as she stared at the door of 4A. How long had she been standing there? She had no idea. She had planned this out so well, had practiced what she would say a hundred times over, yet she couldn't even bring herself to knock on the door.

It had been a little over a week since she had taken all of those home pregnancy tests. She had carefully avoided Sheldon since then. She wanted to be certain before she dropped the bomb that would once and for all level their relationship.

After her OBGYN had confirmed the test stick's findings she had gone to see her mother. Sure she had told Jake over the phone but this was different. She had to tell her mother face to face, they lived in the same town there was no excuse. It took almost three whole days for Amy to pluck up the courage to go over there.

When she finally made it, she had stayed for dinner and even watched the local news with her mother before beginning the conversation. She thought that if she waited until later in the evening when her mother grew tired, perhaps the yelling wouldn't be so bad. And it wasn't, in fact her mother hadn't yelled at all. She had sat there on the sofa like a statue just staring at Amy for the longest time.

"Mom, are you mad at me?" Amy had finally sheepishly asked.

"No, I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed." And there it was the good ole "disappointment" why did that always make you feel worse than anger? Amy had always hated to disappoint her mother. She had worked so hard all of her life to make her mother proud and now she had gotten herself knocked up.

Tears pricked at Amy's eyes while she tried to stay strong. Yes, she was upset now but her mother would come around, after all she had pestered Amy for grandchildren for so long now, it would almost seem that she should be happy no matter how they got there.

Oh, but then it got worse. "What does Sheldon say about all of this? He is going to marry you, isn't he?"

Bam! Like a punch in the face. She should have known all those lies would come back to get her. Of course her mother thought it was Sheldon's baby. They had long ago upset her with all the lies about their frequent intercourse. After they had broken up Amy had not told her mother as it would be hard to explain that she needed more physical intimacy from someone she was supposed to be having regular coitus with.

So once again, in the same ten minute time frame mind you, Amy had broken her mother's heart by having to confess that she was not carrying Sheldon's child that they had been broken up for nearly eight months now. Instead she had had a brief relationship with a coworker who dumped her, moved back east and was now choosing not to be a part of the baby's life.

As Amy had explained all of this, again her mother sat there with a stone face, not giving way to anger, or even sadness. Amy had never seen her mother like this, and it really scared her. As she came to the end of her confession she waited for her mother to say something, anything. It took nearly five more minutes of complete silence before her mother spoke.

"Well, Amy I am deeply disappointed in you. You have been lying to me for years and having elicit affairs."

"Mom I didn't have elicit affairs. I have had two boyfriends in my entire life and I slept with one of them."

"Yes, and look where it got you! Oh how will I face the rest of the family? What will my friends think? My daughter pregnant with no husband!"

Amy couldn't take it anymore. She was having a hard enough time keeping her emotions in check without her mother bringing up all the 'pregnant and alone' stuff.

Amy mumbled a quick goodbye and got the hell out of there. That was a few days ago now.

Amy had taken the past few days to herself trying to calm her nerves before she had to tell yet another person about her mistake.

But now she couldn't put t off any longer. Sheldon had given her some 'alone' time after she had lied and told him she needed time to herself to finish an important research paper. But now he was adamant that they see each other. He had invited her to dinner, and when she had tried to turn him down again to 'finish her work' he had insisted that he would then bring dinner to her.

Amy had quickly back peddled and agreed to dinner at his apartment. She wanted to tell him at there so that she wouldn't have to break his heart, and hers, and then ask him to leave like last time.

No, this time. She would tell him and then she would leave. This little bit of control over the situation was the only thing Amy had to cling to, and she needed it badly.

She of course was not about to tell him in the middle of their group of friends so she was now at his door a full two hours early. This way she could tell him and get out before having to face anyone else. Penny knew about the baby, but Amy had sworn her to secrecy and she wasn't ready to tell everyone just yet.

Tick, tock…. Amy was losing her time buffer. If she didn't go in now and get this over with she would run the risk of having the others arrive during her confession. This was enough of a fear to propel Amy forward to knock on the door.

After what felt like an eternity, but also a split second, Sheldon answered the door.

"Amy, What a pleasant surprise! You are here early." Sheldon's greeting only drove the stake deeper into Amy's heart, and she could find no words of greeting for him.

After a few beats of silence, a puzzled Sheldon stepped aside for her to enter. "Are you okay? You don't look well. Maybe you should have stayed home after all. Come in and sit down."

Amy did as she was told and took a seat on the far end of the couch, as far away from Sheldon's spot as she could get.

Sheldon stared at her quizzically but continued to sit down on his spot.

Amy drew in a long deep breath, trying to steady her shaking body. She had to do this now, 'Come on Fowler you can do this!'

"Sheldon, I've come early so that I might discuss something with you, privately."

"Of course Amy, what should we discuss? I can get out my conversation starter cards if you would like."

"No Sheldon. I have something important to tell you and I need your full attention."

"Alright." Sheldon must have sensed something was up as he replied very carefully.

"Okay I will tell you, but I need you to promise that you will listen to everything I have to say, and that you will not interrupt me."

"Fine" Sheldon looked downright grim now, but it was nothing compared to the turbulence inside of Amy at this moment.

With his agreement Amy began her story. "You remember that I briefly dated someone from my lab." Sheldon only nodded. Amy not wanting to drag it out got right to the point.

"Well, I'm pregnant." Amy held her breath as she waited for Sheldon's response.

Just like her mother he seemed to need a moment to process this new information and he stared at her blankly.

When he finally began to speak it was clear that he had not grasped the obvious implications of this statement.

"I don't understand. How can you be pregnant? You would have had to have inter…."

Amy could only watch in horror as the terrible realization of what she had done finally sunk in for Sheldon. She watched as his facial expression changed from a look of confusion to comprehension to one of complete anguish.

Amy couldn't stop the tears now. She was downright sobbing. "Please Sheldon, please know and I am so sorry. It was a terrible mistake. I never meant to hurt you. Please Sheldon."

Amy wasn't even sure what she was asking for. She couldn't stand to know that she had just stomped on his heart again.

Amy continued to cry, but she didn't dare move a muscle. Sheldon had dropped his head and seemed to be studying his lap intently as he gathered himself.

Finally without looking up he spoke. "I think you should go now." He said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Amy cried harder. "Please Sheldon, I'm sorry."

"Just go." He said again without lifting his head.

Amy collected her bag and walked to the door. She turned back once to see if he had looked up yet, he hadn't.

With that Amy took one final look around at the apartment and left.

On her way out she texted Penny. She needed to know that someone would go check on Sheldon, she needed to know that he would be okay.

Author's Note: Gah that was a hard chapter to write. Now I'm all depressed. Think I will go watch some Shamy episodes to cheer myself up. Love all the reviews. Please stick with me, even though I'm bringing us all down, we'll get there I promise. TBBT is not mine.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

The next week was a haze for Amy. She spent a good portion of her days vomiting and even more time holding back tears. She hadn't spoken with her mother or Sheldon since she had told them about the baby. Thank heavens for Penny and Bernadette. They had both been by daily to check in on her and to restock her kitchen with saltines and herbal tea.

Amy was now ten weeks pregnant and her emotions were on a wild rollercoaster. Some times she felt she would burst into tears thinking about Sheldon or raising a baby on her own, other times she felt excited and giddy about her baby. She had already purchased several books on pregnancy and child rearing. She had even made a few insignificant purchases for the baby. She knew it was too early to really be shopping but she had come across a few things like a cute receiving blanket that she had impulsively bought.

Even though she saw Penny and Bernadette frequently they never spoke about Sheldon and it was kind of killing her. She so desperately wanted to ask about him, but thought it would be selfish considering she was the one who had hurt him again. So she kept her thoughts and questions about Sheldon to her self.

Slowly but surely Amy found her footing again. She kept herself busy with work and reading up on pregnancy. She even started to look for some mommy groups on the internet. She knew she was going to need some support as she got further in her pregnancy and even more once the baby came. Penny and Bernadette were great but it would be nice to have some friends who were also moms. That still felt so strange to her, she was going to be a mom, how bizarre.

Unlike the last time she and Sheldon had ended their relationship Amy continued to visit Penny at her apartment. Secretly she hoped going there would afford her the opportunity to bump into Sheldon, but it hadn't happened yet. Still it was good to get out of her apartment and spend time with her friends.

The weeks flew past and Amy was feeling much better, physically at least, emotionally not so much. Even though she spending a lot of time with Penny and Bernadette, Amy felt lonely. Many nights she would sit in front of her computer willing her Skype to ring. She desperately missed Sheldon, and she had begun to wonder what it would have been like if he had fathered her baby. She often amused herself by thinking about how Sheldon would have researched every aspect of pregnancy, child birth and infancy. She thought he would have come up with elaborate schedules for stimulating the baby's brain development such as playing Mozart for him or her. Sometimes her fantasies would become so involved that she was almost taken aback when she remembered that she was in this alone.

She really had to stop daydreaming like that, it only served as a temporary fix for loneness and when she came back to reality, it only seemed bleaker. Time was hurrying along and Amy needed to prepare for her baby's arrival.

Nearing her seventeenth week Amy and Penny planned a day for some baby shopping. It was still a little early but Penny was itching to go and her excitement was rubbing off on Amy. So that Saturday morning Amy headed over to pick up Penny. Now that she was pregnant she wasn't taking the risk of riding in Penny's car with the check engine light on.

When Amy arrived to 4B, Penny was buzzing around chattering on about all the things they needed to buy or register Amy for. Again Penny's enthusiasm influenced Amy's own attitude and by the time they left the apartment they were both smiling and laughing. That was of course until they bumped into Sheldon in the hallway.

It was the first time Amy had seen him since she had dropped the pregnancy bomb and she instantly felt guilty about acting happy in front of him. They were all rendered completely silent by the unexpected meeting. Nothing was said.

Sheldon had just come up the stairs and was preparing to enter his apartment as they exited Penny's. He made eye-contact with Amy for a brief moment before Amy saw his eyes travel to her midsection, obviously looking for a baby bump. At seventeen weeks Amy was beginning to show, but her loose fitting sweaters still hid it well. And just like that he was gone. He had disappeared into his apartment before Amy found her voice.

"Ames, are you okay?" a concerned Penny asked

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Let's just go okay?"

"Yes, we have a lot of shopping to do today." Penny said trying to sound chipper and bring Amy back to her happy mood.

So they headed off on what could only be called a marathon shopping spree. By the time Amy got home that night her feet and back were aching and she had bags and bags of new things for the baby. They had even ordered a crib and registered for her baby shower that Penny was insisting she have.

Looking around at all of the baby's stuff it occurred to her that her current apartment didn't have enough space to accommodate a baby, especially given the amount of stuff it apparently needed. She was going to have to move. 'Oh joy' she thought to herself as headed to bed. Just another thing to add to the list.

When Penny got home from her shopping spree with Amy she was exhausted. They had been to about seven different stores and all through the GlennDale Galleria. Penny poured herself a glass of wine and collapsed onto her sofa, propping her feet up on her coffee table.

As she sat slowly sipping her wine she thought about all the stuff they had purchased that day, and couldn't help but to remember how darn cute it all was. Maybe having a adorable, sweet, little baby to dress up would be nice.

Whoa…. Where did that thought come from? She needed to watch some TV or something and get her mind off of babies.

Just as she turned on her television came a serious of knocks.

_Knock, knock, knock, Penny…_

_Knock, knock, knock, Penny…_

_Knock, knock, knock, Penny…_

"Come in." Penny called, praying that whatever Sheldon wanted wouldn't take up a lot of her time. She really wanted to just relax by herself for a bit.

"Hello, Penny" Sheldon greeted as he entered.

"Hello, Sheldon" she replied mimicking his monotone voice.

Penny remained seated and Sheldon seemed to have stalled out by the front door. He was standing there with his hands clasped behind his back not moving or saying anything.

"Did you need something Sheldon?"

"No, not really. Just thought I would stop in. We haven't had a lot of time to catch up lately." He stated as if they had not seen or spoken to each other in weeks.

"Sheldon we talk almost every night at dinner. You're here because of Amy." Penny stated calling him on his bluff.

"Penny, I don't know what you are talking about. I just felt bad that we did not get a chance to talk in the hallway earlier today. So I thought I would just pop by and see how you were today."

"Okay, sure, what ever you say." Penny was nobody's fool.

A few moments of silence passed before Sheldon spoke again.

"So what have you been up to today?" He asked _innocently._

"Oh you know this and that. Helped Amy go shopping for the baby." Penny stared keenly at Sheldon waiting to see his reaction.

"That sounds nice. Did you enjoy your shopping trip? Were you successful in acquiring the needed infant supplies?" Sheldon's efforts at small talk / information gathering left a lot to be desired.

"Yes, we were able to get a lot of what we needed. Other things we registered for or ordered."

Penny was actually enjoying watching Sheldon squirm. There was something he wanted to know and he was really going about it the long way.

Sheldon simply nodded along with her last statement.

"Did you buy a lot of blue items? I hear that blue is a very calming color for infants."

Ding, ding, ding, and there it was.

"Are you trying to find out if Amy's having a boy?" Penny was beyond amused.

"No of course not!" Sheldon looked down right insulted, but Penny's bull shit meter was pinging off the charts.

"Why would I care what the sex of Amy's baby is? Amy and I are no longer friends, what she does, and what her baby does are non of my concern."

"Oh, Okay, Sheldon what ever you say."

"Well I have taken up enough of your time, so I shall leave you to your evening." Sheldon said as he turned to leave.

"Sheldon" Penny called after him and he turned back to face her.

"Amy won't know what she's having for another few weeks." Penny gave in, she felt bad for him in the end.

Sheldon simply nodded then turned to leave.

"Poor guy." Penny said shaking her head after he had left.

**Author's Note:** Hi all! Sorry for the delay. I must have written this chapter 5 times over, so please forgive the choppiness. It was really hard to get out. Finally I just decided to go with it, hope for the best and move forward. I hope it's not as all over the place as I fear. Anyway hope you enjoyed it.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Twenty-nine weeks pregnant and Amy felt as big as a house. How in the hell was she ever going to make it to the full forty? She was beginning to lose sight of her feet below her belly, her back ached and her legs were swollen. And it was becoming increasingly difficult to bend over. Sometimes when she dropped something she would just leave it until Penny or Bernadette came by and had them pick it up for her.

Thankfully her mother had defrosted a bit and had been coming by to help her out. Amy had been on the verge of a full blown panic attack a week back when she had called her mother in tears. There was so much to do and she didn't know where to start. She needed to find a new place to live and then set up the nursery. It wouldn't be much longer before she would be too big to do any physically demanding task.

Hearing her daughter's distress must have finally broken her down and Mrs. Fowler had hurried over to comfort Amy and help her sort out her to do list. Since that day they had been together almost constantly. Looking at new apartments or condos, going to doctor's visits, her mother had even signed her up for birthing classes. It was such a relief to have her mom around.

Amy's baby shower was just a few days away and she was so excited. Penny and Bernadette had been planning it for months. She couldn't wait, though she couldn't figure out why they took so long to plan it, when she really only had the two of them as friends to invite. It didn't matter really, Amy was just happy that they were her friends and that they wanted to give her a baby shower.

On the day of her party Amy was not feeling too hot. Her back was really hurting and she was even having a bit of cramping. Her doctor said it was probably nothing to worry about, just some growing pains. She told Amy to rest and drink plenty of fluids and call if it got worse or didn't go away.

Amy rested as much as she could before the party, but she wasn't going to miss it for the world. So at just after 2pm she headed over to 4B. Penny had insisted on having the party at her apartment so she could set everything up and it would be a big surprise. Bernadette had offered to come get Amy, but she had declined. It may not be too much longer before she didn't fit behind the wheel and she wanted to maintain her independence as long as possible.

When Amy arrived outside of Penny's apartment she heard a lot of talking. How much noise could three people make? But when she opened the door, she was shocked to see the apartment full of guests. Her mom, Penny and Bernadette were there of course, but also Howard, Raj and Leonard. Penny had also rounded up a few of her coworkers whom she had a friendly relationship with.

Amy felt that her heart was so full it might burst open. When she had come in everyone had swarmed to greet her and offer their congratulations. It was so wonderful to have so many people in her life there to support her and to celebrate her soon to be new-arrival.

After greetings and hugs the party got into full swing. They played classic baby-shower games, ate, opened presents, talked and laughed. Amy was sure those few hours ranked high on her life's best moments list.

As the party began to wind down and after her mother and work friends had departed Amy found herself chatting with the guys while Penny and Bernadette began to tidy up. Amy had tried to help but Penny had put a swift stop to that.

Amy was greatly enjoying spending time with Leonard, Howard and Raj. She worried after what had happened between her and Sheldon that they may never speak to her again. She wouldn't have blamed them; after all they were his closest friends, a camaraderie that predated Amy by years.

Thanks to a beer in hand Raj was actually quit chatty, asking things about her nursery color scheme and had she thought about names. He even told her about some cute and totally practical nursery decorations he saw in the Martha Stewart magazine. Howard's eye-rolling gave the whole group a good laugh, everyone except Raj that was.

Soon Penny and Bernadette had stolen Raj and Howard to help load the baby shower gifts into Bernadette's and Amy's cars. Leonard had hung back to speak with Amy privately.

"Amy, I just wanted to tell you that none of us, Me, Howard, or Raj are mad at you about what happened." He started.

Amy feeling guilty tried to cut him off, "Leonard you don't have to say that, really."

"I know, but we just wanted you to know that we are still your friends too. And if there's anything you need, we want to help you."

Amy was beside herself with happiness. She was truly a blessed woman to have so many friends. She was barely keeping tears back as she replied.

"Leonard that means so much. Thank you! But I think I may have everything covered."

Leonard was not persuaded "Penny told us that you are going to be moving to a new apartment, one with more space for the baby. We are going to help you move." He stated firmly.

"Oh no, no, you don't need to do that. Besides I haven't even found a place yet."

"Well when you do, you have yourself three partially able moving men at your service." Leonard said with a smirk.

Amy could only reply with a hug, that he gratefully returned.

Leonard's phone buzzed with a text message. "Penny says they are all set, so come on down and we will take all the gifts over to your apartment. You ready to go?"

Yes, actually let me run to the bathroom and I will be right down. You don't have to wait for me I will lock the door behind me. Penny has her keys right?"

"I have my set, so it will be fine." A big smile stretched across Leonard's face as he said this. It had only been a few weeks since Penny had officially given him the spare set as a boyfriend. Clearly he was still giddy over it.

Leonard headed down and Amy used the restroom. As she went to leave she bent to collect her bag, only to have a sharp pain shot down her side. It was so sudden and severe she felt like she lost her breathe for a minute. That's it, Amy you need to rest like the doctor said, she scolded herself as she felt the pain subsiding. A few slow breaths later, she felt well enough to head down.

Amy collected herself and exited the apartment. Pulling the door behind her, she needed to use a little more force to engage to lock properly. It apparently had not been the same since Penny had managed to get her car key stuck in it a few years back.

Pulling the door had caused Amy's back to spasm again, thankfully not as bad this time, but still not a pleasant feeling. Again Amy paused to let the pain pass. She held one hand to her back and braced herself against the wall with the other, taking deep breathes.

Just over her exhaling she heard her name. "Amy?"

Amy turned toward the voice and lost her breathe again. It was Sheldon. He was standing just outside his open apartment door. He seemed so still, that Amy wondered if he had spoken at all.

"Are you okay?" He finally asked, still unmoving.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little back pain is all." Amy winced a bit with the effort of turning towards him.

In a flash Sheldon was by her side and guiding her to the stairs.

"You should go to the hospital. You could be in preterm labor or something." He seemed almost frantic, as he grabbed his ever-present satchel and pulled his door closed.

"Sheldon, it's fine. Just a few cramps." Amy said half amused by Sheldon's sudden panic.

Of course cramps was entirely the wrong word to use as Sheldon visibly paled at its mention.

"Oh dear, no that's not good!" He exclaimed and cursed the non-functioning elevator. Slowly and gently Sheldon helped Amy down the stairs. Stopping frequently to check that her condition had not worsened. Amy tried the whole trip down to explain that she just needed to get home to rest, but Sheldon was not convinced.

When they finally arrived into the lobby they found Leonard and Penny waiting.

Raj, Howard and Bernadette were already on their way to Amy's apartment to deliver the first load of gifts.

Sheldon made quick work of persuading Penny and Leonard that Amy should be taken immediately to the hospital to be checked over by medical professionals.

Everyone was totally overreacting but it was one against three so Amy allowed herself to be shuffled into the back seat with Sheldon as Leonard drove like a mad man to Pasadena General Hospital.

In the backseat, Sheldon had taken her hand and as calmly as he could manage told Amy that every  
>thing was going to be okay.<p>

Amy was just glad she knew that she was okay, because the look on Sheldon's face would not have soothed a worried individual. He seemed beside himself with anxiety, and if it had not been for the pain in her back Amy may not have been able to wipe the smile from her face.

She was with Sheldon, holding his hand as he fretted over her. Amy knew she should not feel happy since he was so clearly distressed. But she loved him and in that moment, she knew he still cared for her too.

**Author's Note:** YAY! Now we are getting somewhere Please forgive any pregnancy misinformation, never been pregnant myself, but the internet was very helpful. Hope you enjoyed it, more to come! TBBT is not mine.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Twenty-two weeks. It had been twenty-two weeks since Sheldon had lost Amy for the second time. But of course it was stupid to think of time in weeks. But he couldn't help it all the books he had read about pregnancy spoke of time passing in weeks and they had slowly taken over his life.

Twenty-two weeks ago Amy had sucked the very life out of him with the admission that she had indeed been intimate with another man. A sub-par specimen who was too stupid to know that she was far too special to just be thrown away. But really Sheldon couldn't say much about that, as he had also let Amy slip from his grasp.

When he had first overheard that Amy was dating someone else he had agonized over what their relationship might involve. He had lain awake at night unable to stop the terrible thoughts from entering his mind. But all of that seemed to slip away when they had reconnected.

As they began spending time together again she was the same old Amy as before. So Sheldon had rationalized that it must not have happened. Surely something like _coitus _would change a person; it sure seemed to distract his other friends. But Amy wasn't any less focused, motivated, or intelligent. She was still the perfect Amy that he loved.

That was another thing Sheldon had learned after they had become friends again. Before their break-up Sheldon would maybe have admitted to admiring Amy, respecting her, but not love. Love was a silly unnecessary social construct. A man like Sheldon Copper didn't have romantic feelings of love.

Yet, the joy he felt as they spent time together again could not be ignored. The way she made him feel just with her presence, left little question that he had indeed fallen in love with Amy Farrah Fowler. At first it was a hard pill to swallow, how was he supposed to achieve his life goals of changing the future of science while being distracted by love? But then again Richard Feynman and Albert Einstein had both been married, a few times, and they were both legends in their fields. Surely he too could have both love and scientific achievement in his life. 

Only a day before Amy had come to tell him of her pregnancy he had decided that he would tell her he loved her. He just needed to find away to do so, a great man such as Sheldon Copper doesn't just say those kinds of things, he needed a plan. But things had gone so terribly wrong.

During the months that followed Sheldon often felt torn. He thought about Amy constantly. He wondered if she was feeling okay, how the pregnancy might be affected her. These constant thoughts had driven him to secretly research the human gestational process. Sure he knew the basics but he wanted to know everything. It made him feel closer to Amy. If he knew when the baby would begin to kick and how long the morning sickness would last, he could pretend he knew what she was going through at any given week.

After about sixteen weeks Sheldon had become quite adept at gather information regarding Amy via eavesdropping. When Leonard visited with Penny or whenever the ladies were hanging out in 4B Sheldon would sneak across the hall and sit on the bottom step next Penny's apartment. Thankfully his Vulcan hearing made listening in on the conversations easy.

This method is how Sheldon had learned that after initial disapproval, Amy's mother had come around to the idea of having a grandchild and was helping Amy to prepare for the baby's arrival. Sheldon had also overheard about the situation with the baby's father, Jack or something.

Apparently he was even stupider than Sheldon had first suspected as he was now refusing to play any part in his child's life. What a coward! Sheldon had been so upset when he had heard Amy telling Penny about trying to get in contact with _what's his face_, Sheldon had almost given himself away. He had found his hand centimeters from opening Penny's door. Thankfully he had come to his senses in time, and retreated to his apartment to stew in his anger alone.

As the weeks continued to pass and Sheldon continued to secretly spy / listen in on Amy and Penny he found that his feelings were not subsiding. He felt more and more compelled to "run into Amy" in the hallway. Maybe if he could strike up a conversation they could begin to rebuild again. Then Amy would see that she didn't need that ridiculous guy, he would there for her. They were meant to be together.

So Sheldon planned a run-in. He knew that Penny and Amy were planning a shopping trip and he carefully timed a morning outing so that he would be coming home as they were leaving. Of course he couldn't have predicted becoming absolutely frozen in place at the sight of her. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak. It was terrible, so as soon as he managed to free his feet from the floor he had bolted into his apartment.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! He would have to try again. Next time it would go far better. Next time he would plan out exactly what to say and he would not freeze up again. Brilliant scientists are never at a loss for words.

Then of course the next time had not gone any better. Sure he had spoken to her, but it was out of medical necessity.

Sheldon wanted to wait until a day that he knew Amy would be in good spirits. When he learned of the upcoming baby-shower he was sure that would be the perfect day. Leonard had asked him to come to the actual party. But it would have been too much, trying to reconcile with Amy during a party. No, no he would wait until it was over and once again casually run into her in the hallway.

It was going so perfectly too. The quests had left and their friends had gone down before Amy to load the cars. So perfect, he couldn't have planned it any better! Sheldon waited patiently behind his door, checking the peep-hole at any sound from the hallway. When he heard Amy come out he watched for a second.

But something wasn't right. After shutting the door she had doubled over in pain, and seemed to be gasping for breath. Sheldon felt like he would be sick, suddenly all of his researching only served to scare the crap out of him. All the things he had read that could go wrong flew threw his brain as he pulled his door open. He needed to help her; they needed to go to the hospital right away.

Amy had tried to dissuade him, but he knew better. He gingerly helped her down stairs and instructed Leonard to drive them straight to the nearest hospital.

And that's where they were now. The nurse at the ER desk had taken Amy back straight away, leaving Sheldon, Penny and Leonard to pace the waiting room floor. Amy's mother had arrived just a few minutes behind them, now she sat stoic in the corner of the waiting room.

Raj, Howard and Bernadette had been alerted and were on their way, but they would only be made to wait as well.

Finally after what seemed like hours a doctor emerged from the double doors.

"Family for Amy Fowler?" The doctor called.

Everyone rushed over to hear the prognosis.

Bum, Bum, Bummmm!

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I just wanted to give Sheldon's perspective before moving forward.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** Sorry to have been away for so long. A friend suffered an unexpected loss and I wasn't really able to get my head into the story. None the less I am ready to sit down and bang out another chapter, maybe more…

Chapter Seventeen:

"This is an unmitigated disaster!" Amy grumbled over the incessant beeping of all the machines she was currently hooked up to.

"Amy, it will be fine. It's only one night in the hospital. Wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry when it comes to your baby?" Penny tried as she patted Amy's hand.

"But I'm fine! The baby's fine! This is just silliness. The doctor said it was just a bit of false labor, possibly brought on by a touch of dehydration. But now thanks to Sheldon's crazy hypochondria _by proxy_ I'm stuck here over-night."

"You are getting close to your due-date it's probably best if you take the night to just relax and get some rest. Just think this is one of your last nights when you will be able to get a full night's sleep." Bernadette added.

"Hmm, a hospital is not a good place for a restful night's sleep. Between the noise and hourly checks from the nurses, I would be better trying to sleep on a park bench." Amy huffed.

Penny and Bernadette could only roll their eyes. There were times when Amy really reminded them of Sheldon.

Just then the door clicked open and in came Sheldon himself.

"I've just spoken with the head of obstetrics. He says that he will come check on you himself if I stop tracking him down in the men's room."

Sheldon moved to sit in the chair on the right side of Amy's bed. He turned to Amy and looked her over from head to foot, as if try to once again to reassure himself that she was indeed fine.

"Sheldon I don't need to be checked on by the head of obstetrics. My own OBGYN is perfectly able to care for me and my child."

"You say that but she wasn't even going to keep you overnight for observation."

"That's because I am FINE and I don't NEED TO STAY OVERNIGHT FOR OBSERVATION!" Amy partially yelled. Causing her blood pressure to spike on the monitor, which only caused Sheldon to fret more and threaten to hit the call button if she didn't relax.

"You need to rest Amy, and with your BP all over the place the hospital is the best place for you. Now I am going to turn off the lights and you need to get some sleep." Sheldon was clearly not going to be reasoned with.

"Penny, Bernadette you should let Amy get to sleep now." Sheldon was shooing them out the door.

"Okay, Okay! Hold your horses. Amy we will come back first thing in the morning and take you home. Come on Sheldon let's go." Penny said as she grabbed her purse.

"No. I will be staying here tonight to make sure Amy is properly monitored." Sheldon stated boldly.

Penny looked from Sheldon to Amy. She was worried that this might make Amy feel uncomfortable.

Amy had her head bowed and seemed to be inspecting her hospital blanket very closely. Yet Penny could see that she was smiling and even blushing a bit. Maybe it would be best if she and Bernadette left them alone. Sheldon obviously still cared for Amy and she knew that Amy was desperately missing him as well.

"Fine. You two have a good night. See you in the morning." Penny couldn't help the smile that formed on her face as she left with Bernadette.

After they had gone, Sheldon closed the door behind them and turned off the overhead lights. Leaving the room lit only by the small lamp on the bedside table.

An awkward silence enveloped the room. Sheldon and Amy hadn't been alone together since the day she had informed him about the baby. He suddenly felt very nervous about his decision to stay. He probably should have checked with Amy first.

Slowly Sheldon made his way back to the reclining chair by Amy's bed. He took a seat without a word.

"Sheldon, can I ask you a question?" Amy almost whispered.

"Anything." Sheldon replied without making eye-contact.

"Why are you here? You hate hospitals, and I thought we were not friends anymore." Amy was glad the room was dimly lit as it somehow made it easier to ask such a difficult question.

"You are correct, I do greatly dislike hospitals. But I wouldn't say that we weren't friends."

"We haven't spoken in almost nine months."

"More like seven and a half months. But that's beside the point. I still consider you a friend. We just had a falling out…" Sheldon continued to avoid eye-contact.

"I'm pregnant with another man's child. When I told you, you said that we shouldn't see each other anymore." Amy felt her throat tighten and felt the sting of tears in her eyes. But she pressed on; she had to know what he was thinking.

Sheldon took a moment before responding. "I remember of course, but I was angry at what I thought was a betrayal. But as Leonard, Penny, Raj, and well everyone else has pointed out on multiple occasions, you did not betray me."

"Really…"

"Yes, we had terminated the relationship agreement allowing you to enter into a relationships with someone else."

Sheldon practically spat his last few words.

"Thank you Sheldon"

He gave a small wave as if to dismiss her appreciation.

"Not necessary. I should have remained your friend and been there for you during your gestation."

Amy couldn't stop the tears now. Sheldon handed her a tissue and again tried to dismiss her feelings.

"Amy please don't let your hormones get the better of you now."

"I'm just so happy we can still be friends and that you are staying with me tonight."

"Of course. It was the least I could do as a friend." Sheldon finally looked at her and offered a smile.

"Your damn right it is. Especially since it's your fault that I am stuck here tonight." Amy said with a smile.

Sheldon just shook his head. There was clearly no reasoning with a pregnant woman.

A/N: Please forgive any mistakes, as I have never been pregnant myself.

Hope you enjoyed. I know it was a bit shorter than usual. That just felt like a natural stopping point.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

In the days following Amy's release from the hospital Sheldon had stayed by her side almost non-stop. She had not returned to work on her doctor's advice to take it easy until the baby arrived. Now with less than two weeks to go before her due date, Amy could feel Sheldon's ever-present eyes watching her every move, surveying her like a hawk.

"Sheldon stop it!" she called over her shoulder as she folded some of the baby's freshly laundered clothes and put them away.

"Stop what?"

"You're hovering again. I wish you would just go to work." For as much as Amy had missed Sheldon during their months apart she sure felt ready to kill him now.

"I don't know to what you are referring. I am not hovering as you say. I am simply being a good friend by assuring that you don't overexert yourself."

"Yeah, okay." Amy replied watching Sheldon's innocent expression. Since when did he get so good at deception? Maybe he actually believed that himself.

Amy had gotten very bored in the last few days and was desperate to find things to keep her busy. She hadn't not worked since she finished school and before then she had been busy with all of her studies and research. Now that she was supposed to stay home and relax she thought she may just go out of her mind. Especially since Sheldon had decided to take his vacation time so that he could stay with her during the day.

At first it had been fun. He had helped her organize the baby's area and things. He had made several spreadsheets to use for keeping track of the baby's schedule, and well everything.

He was even some what helpful with the apartment search. Well… more like he was able to find everything that was wrong with any of the possible choices. After a few days of this Amy had decided to put moving on the backburner. She could manage in her apartment for a few months, plus it would be better to wait until the fall and move when the weather wasn't so hot.

Now she just needed to find things to occupy her time. She had washed the baby's new things several times now, something Sheldon had definitely approved of, she had also sanitized and baby proofed her whole apartment. Even though a newborn didn't need baby proofing, she was just so bored.

Of course she did all of these things under Sheldon's watchful eye and had been forced to stop to take breaks nearly every half hour. If this was going to continue Amy suspected she would be looking for ways to try and induce labor.

Luckily she had a doctor's appointment to take up some of her time that afternoon. Even better Penny was going to drive them, as Amy had trouble fitting behind the wheel these days.

Amy was excited to spend some time with Penny, as Sheldon normally gave her a little extra space when someone else was around to help monitor her.

Amy had fingers, toes, arms and legs crossed that today they may finally find out the sex of the baby.

Amy knew a lot about her baby. She knew that her baby was healthy with a good weight and a strong heartbeat. Her baby was due t be born in late June, so he or she would have the sign of Cancer. Penny had even done an astrological profile for the baby, something that did not impress Sheldon at all. She also knew that her baby would probably be a soccer player, or perhaps a ninja as it had a powerful kick.

But she had never been able to find out the baby's gender, as apparently the baby was also very shy. But Amy was hopeful that today would be her lucky day. She wanted to find out so she could finally narrow down the name choices and add a few more gender specific baby items to her ever growing collection of baby clothes.

Now all she had to do was make it to three that afternoon without hurting Sheldon and she might finally know. Sadly it was only 10am.

Sheldon watched as Amy shuffled around her apartment doing her household chores three and four times over. She really needed to learn how to relax. He was concerned that she seemed restless and irritated. She even seemed to be a bit put off by his presence, but he chalked that up to her hormones.

He needed to be there. Someone should be making sure she didn't do too much. Even with him there enforcing break times and forbidding heavy-lifting she seemed bound and determined to be on her feet every second of the day.

It was infuriating really. Didn't she realize this was time she should be resting up before the baby came? Sheldon had a half a mind to call his mother and let her lecture Amy a bit about taking it easy so close to her due date. Though that seemed like an extreme route to go he was getting closer to making that call each passing day.

Now he watched as she folded the re-washed baby clothes and put them back into the dresser again. He had learned a few days back it was better to just stay out of her way at this point. Whenever he had tried to help he had just done something wrong and irritated her further. And people thought he was the fussy one.

After Amy had put the last few items into the closet and drawers she began to rub her back. Concerned Sheldon had jumped up and gone over to her.

"Is your back hurting?"

"A little, it's not used to carry all of this weight."

"You should lie down and put your feet up."

"No, no, I have too much to do."

"Amy, you don't having anything to do that you haven't already done twice. Just lie down for a little bit and relax. Remember you have your doctor's appointment this afternoon and I am not above telling your OBGYN that you haven't been resting." Sheldon scolded.

Amy knew when she was defeated. "Fine" But please bring me my Neuron magazine. I'm not tired so I will read for a little while.

"Okay, I will. Just get into bed already." Sheldon helped Amy lower down onto her bed and he placed an extra pillow under her legs. Which Amy had to admit felt really good. Her back was really aching today.

A few minutes later Sheldon returned with her publication and a cup of tea. "Now just relax and I will be in the other room. Call if you need anything."

"Thank you Sheldon."

With that Sheldon left Amy to read. But truth be told she was pretty tired and the chamomile tea Sheldon had brought didn't help. Soon Amy had drifted off to sleep.

She was having pleasant dreams about floating in a deep blue ocean when suddenly she was jolted awake by a throbbing pain down her back and through her abdomen. Thankfully it subsided quickly. Amy peered at her bedside table clock, only 11:30, it felt like she had been asleep longer than that. Still feeling groggy Amy closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

In what felt like seconds later Amy was awakened again by the pain. It lasted a little longer this time. She looked at the clock again nearly 11:55 now. What the hell.

This time as the pain passed Amy laid back but didn't sleep again. Sure enough the pain returned twenty minutes later. Yep it was labor, she was in labor!

Holy shit! She was in labor!

"Sheldon!"

Amy called as her latest contraction eased.

Within seconds he was there, looking frantic. "What? What's wrong?" He asked nearly out of breath.

"I think I am having contractions."

"Are you sure? Your due date is still two weeks away."

"Well I guess no one told the baby, cause it's coming."

"Oh no, oh no..I'll call Penny." Sheldon said as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

"Hurry!" Amy groaned "I think my water just broke."

Penny must have broken every speed limit and run every red light, as she arrived to Amy's apartment in under fifteen minutes.

What she found was very unexpected. Sheldon was standing in the living room pale as a ghost clutching Amy's bag for her stay at the hospital. Amy wasn't in sight but Penny could hear her mumbling something from the bedroom.

"Sheldon, what's wrong?"

"She says she's not going to the hospital." He seemed to be completely lost as to what to do.

"I told her we had to go if the baby is coming. It would be way too messy to do a home birth. Besides I'm not a midwife."

Well clearly Sheldon had lost it. So Penny went to see about Amy.

She found Amy nervously pacing around her room.

"Ames, you ready to go?"

"No, I'm sorry to have made you come all the way over here, but I have decided not to have the baby today." Amy said defiantly though it was clear she was in a lot of pain.

"Oh sweetie, I know you are scared but I don't think it's your choice. The baby is going to decide that, and that little guy has chosen today."

"No. You don't understand it's not on schedule. I'm not ready. I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl. I wanted to find out today. I don't want to go to the hospital."

Penny watched as a tear slipped down Amy's cheek. She felt suddenly helpless. Amy may not have been as regimented as Sheldon but she valued her routine and was a planner in her own right. Now she was scared and desperately trying to cling to any scrap of control.

Amy doubled over as another contraction rolled through her body. Sheldon, watching from the doorway had, had enough.

He went to her side and let her squeeze his hand as they waited for the pain to subside. When she began to breathe more evenly he took a stand.

"All right enough time wasting we are going to the hospital now. Your bag is ready by the door, I have called your mother and your OB and they will meet us at the hospital."

"Sheldon I can't. I'm not ready."

"You are ready. Trust me I've watched you get ready for several days now. We need to go."

"But I wanted to find out the sex of the baby today."

Sheldon smoothed the hair away from Amy's face and cupped her cheeks in his hands.

"Amy, you are going to have the baby today, so you will find out the gender. And even better we will meet your baby today." He said gently.

The realization swept over Amy and she felt some of her fear and panic lift.

"Okay. Let's go. I wanna meet my baby today."

**Author's Note:** Yay! The baby is coming. Just once again… I am not a mother, everything I know about childbirth I have seen on TV and movies, so please forgive any clichés and misrepresentations.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I'm really excited to finish up this story. Maybe three or four more chapters to go .

Chapter 19:

Sheldon felt ill. His body felt hot, his hands were shaking and his legs were weak. He was sweating profusely and he was nauseated. Most people would say he was lucky to be in a hospital if he felt so bad, but it was being in the hospital that was precisely the problem.

He felt his skin crawl at the very thought of all the germs that infested this building. He despised hospitals and made a point of avoiding them at all costs. Yet today he had willing walked into one knowing he could be there for hours maybe days.

His head swam at the thought. But this was important. He had to be here for Amy, this was a special day for her, for all of them. The day that Amy's baby was born could not be missed for anything, even his germ phobia.

Even still Amy giving birth presented even more worries for Sheldon. Should he stay with her while she labored? What if she squeezed his hand too hard? Maybe should would scream like the women in movies. And heaven help him child birth seemed like a very messy endeavor. With all that blood and other bodily fluids… Sheldon felt faint.

"Sheldon, you look as white as a sheet. Are you okay?" Penny asked from her seat in the waiting room.

They had been asked to fill out some forms while the nurses checked Amy in and got her set-up in her room.

"I'm just a little warm that's all."

Penny seeing that Sheldon was much worse off than he wanted to let on went to the water cooler and filled a cup for him.

"Here sit down and drink this. It will pass."

Sheldon did as he was instructed as he was in no shape to protest.

Sure enough after a few minutes and few sips of cool water he began to feel a bit better.

"Penny, are you going to stay with Amy while she has the baby?"

"Yes. I am her birthing coach so I will be there."

"Good."

"Sheldon, I think it would be really good if you could be there too."

"What? No, it would be too crowded and as you said you are her birthing coach. I'm sure you took some class or had some instruction for that duty." Penny nodded her head.

"So you see I would not be able to assist in anyway. Too many chef's in the kitchen and all."

"Bullshit Sheldon. You know that Amy wants you in there. So you are going to man up and stay by her side the whole time." Penny wasn't having any of his crap today.

"Penny, I don't know. What if I see something I'm not supposed to? What if it's icky?"

"She will have a blanket or her gown covering most of the action. Just stay north of the equator, so to speak."

Sheldon took a deep shaky breathe and nodded his head. "Fine."

He knew Penny was right. Plus child birth was supposed to be some kind of miracle so maybe he should witness at least one. From north of the equator that was.

Penny finished with Amy's paper work and a nurse lead them back to see Amy in her room.

Sheldon was actually kind of surprised when they entered. He half expected to see Amy with her legs in the air, screaming her head off. Yet there she was just lying in the bed watching a paper roll out of the machine beside her.

"Hey guys how cool is this! This machine can tell me when a contraction is coming. Awesome right?"

Sheldon didn't understand "I'm sure that this is not new technology. Amy are you feeling alright?"

" Yeah, I'm great. They set me up with this wonderful epidural and I think I'm in love with it."

Penny smirked and went to sit beside Amy. "So you decided to go ahead with the drugs huh?"

"Oh yes, and it has been the best choice of my entire life. They asked me if I wanted one right when I felt a contraction coming on, and there was no way I was saying no to that."

"I thought it was too soon for you to get one. Shouldn't you wait to be further along?" Penny asked trying to remember what she learned in the birthing class.

"I'm actually doing really well. Already at 4cm so it was okay. Apparently this baby wants out!"

Sheldon was shocked at how pleasant Amy seemed now. That epidural must really be strong stuff. During the car ride to the hospital Amy had, had three contractions and she had said some really mean things and swore as much as his father used to.

Just then Amy's doctor arrived and Sheldon moved to the head of the bed so that he wouldn't be in danger of seeing anything while she examined Amy.

"Well Amy looks good. You have progressed well and now that you have your epidural you can rest and hopefully we can start to push in a few hours." The doctor said with a smile.

_A few hours! Dear lord. _Thought Sheldon. Well he might as well make himself comfortable, so he pulled a chair up to Amy's bedside and settled in.

The next six hours were a slow hell. A constant parade of nurses and doctors made their way in and out of the room. Amy's mother came but ended up only irritating Amy before Penny suggested she stay in the waiting room.

Sheldon stayed by Amy's side dutifully monitoring her contractions and getting ice chips when needed.

About the time that Sheldon was starting to wonder if he could suggest a c-section to speed things along, in came the doctor to announce it was time to push. Amy's epidural had worn down quite a bit and she had been feeling the last several contractions.

Sheldon's hand was already aching from her squeezing it and now they were only getting started.

Penny dabbed Amy's forehead with a damp washcloth. "Amy are you ready? Just a few big pushes and we will finally know if it's a girl or a boy!"

Despite her obvious pain and fatigue Amy smiled and said "Let's do this."

"Okay you heard Mom." Said the doctor. "Let's push with the next contraction."

Amy was scooted down to the very edge of her bed and her legs in the stirrups made Sheldon very uncomfortable. As a distraction he began mentally reciting the periodic table of elements while Amy squeezed his hand through her first pushing contractions.

Thirty minutes and three times through the elements later and still no baby. Some miracle this was. This was taking forever! Amy laid back after a long push and began to shake her head.

"Nope, nope, nope this is not working! Get a knife and cut it out already!"

"I know it's hard but I can see the baby's head. So just a few more pushes okay."

"Come on Amy!" Cheered Penny, she was not following her own directions and was now having a peek.  
>"Oh My G-D! I can see the head!" She squealed.<p>

While Sheldon found this very annoying it had a motivating effect on Amy and she sat up to push again.

This time she did let out a long scream, completely distracting Sheldon from his elements. He looked down and made eye-contact with Amy.

She looked very tired and he worried. He felt so helpless, if only there was something he could do.

"That's the head. Great job Amy! Just one more push okay."

Holding eye-contact with Sheldon, Amy took a deep breathe and pushed.

Within seconds they heard "It's a girl!" followed by the wail of a newborn.

The doctor handed Amy the crying baby that was covered in heaven knew what. Amy clutched her baby to her chest and laid back rocking her child.

Sheldon watched as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Feeling very overwhelmed himself, Sheldon sat down and watched the new mother and child. Penny oohed and awed over the baby.

Soon the nurse took the baby to be checked over and Amy once again looked to Sheldon.

"You have a daughter." Sheldon stated and immediately he felt stupid. Why was he stating the obvious?

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Amy gushed.

"Yes, very." Sheldon suddenly felt very overcome with emotion. He leaned down and placed a small kiss on Amy's forehead.

A few hours and practically a hundred people later, Sheldon was again sitting beside Amy's bed watching her cradle her baby girl.

They were alone. Penny had finally agreed to go home to rest for a bit, but only after making Sheldon swear on his entire comic book collection that he would stay vigilant by Amy's side and call if she needed anything.

"What are you going to name her?" Sheldon asked fingering the little pink bracelet on the baby's arm that read, 'Baby Girl Fowler'

"I was thinking about Ada Marie."

Sheldon smiled. "That sounds like a very good name to me."

"Yes, Ada Marie Fowler." Amy whispered to her baby

"Sheldon I'm very tired. Can you put Ada back in her bassinet?"

"Are you sure? I don't think I should hold her. I haven't been properly trained or sanitized." Sheldon asked his voice full of panic.

"You'll be fine. Just be sure to support her head."

Gingerly and very, very slowly Sheldon gathered Ada from Amy's arms and with the pace of a sloth he walked her to the clear hospital bassinet and laid her down inside.

Amy smiled as she watched this. For a man who so loved the Flash, he was sure moving like a slug.

"See you're a natural. You didn't even wake her up." Amy said through a yawn. I'm just going to close my eyes for a bit she said as she drifted off.

Sheldon was very tired himself. Returning to the reclining chair by Amy's bed he dozed off as well.

Later that night a nurse arrived with some paper work. Amy was sound asleep, but her entry had woken Sheldon.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you. But I have some papers to be filled out."

Sheldon nodded and sat up.

"Have you given her a name yet?" the nurse asked in a whisper.

"Yes, her name is Ada."

"Oh how lovely. Can you just fill in the spelling and everything so we can make up her birth certificate?"

The nurse handed the clipboard to Sheldon and promised to return for it soon.

Boy having a baby required a lot of information.

Sheldon set to filling in all of Amy's info which was easy due to his eidetic memory.

Passing over the questions about the father, Sheldon filled in the blanks for the baby's name. Ada Marie… he stopped before he added Fowler. It just didn't feel right. Something was off with that name.

Sheldon stood and moved over to look at the baby. She was peacefully sleeping but she didn't look like a Fowler. Something in him was saying Cooper. This baby looked like a Cooper.

Sheldon never went with instinct or his gut. His decisions were based on logic, but today was a different day. He watched as his hand finish the name… Ada Marie Cooper. Nope not a logical choice, but it felt right, deep down Sheldon knew that was the right name for this baby.

Before the nurse returned for the forms , Sheldon quickly filled in his information as 'father' and signed the bottom.

When the nurse returned she took a few moments to look the forms over. Sheldon felt his ears go red. What if she knew he wasn't the father? What kind of laws was he breaking by lying on hospital forms?

"Well, everything looks in order here, Mr. Cooper. And may I say congratulations on your new baby girl!"

Sheldon practically sighed in relief. "Thank you." He responded, he was so happy in that moment that he didn't even bother correcting her with 'it's Dr. Cooper.'

After the nurse had left Sheldon looked down at Ada again. Amy was probably going to be very mad that he did that. But he didn't care, just then he was thinking how odd it was that he had just met Ada, yet somehow he knew he loved her.

************ Okay so super sappy sweet chapter! Hope you guys liked it. I decided to go with Sheldon's perspective as it was easier for me to get into his head on this one. Did some research about epidurals and those sound so scary, maybe I will just adopt. Anyway, I'm not sure if Sheldon would get away with the birth certificate thing in real life, so let's call it creative license.

I know that Mayim wouldn't have a epidural but I felt Amy needed one, even if it was just for me. Also the baby is named for Ada Lovelace a mathematician and of course Marie Curie.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note:** Thanks for the wonderful reviews. I am really on a roll with writing now. Sorry about the Cooper/Copper mess up. Note to self don't write so late at night.

Chapter 20:

Amy was exhausted. She remembered back when she was finishing her PHD and she'd pull all nighters to work on her dissertation, but that was nothing compared to now. She actually laughed to herself when she remembered how tired she thought she was at the time, phsh that was a cake walk.

After twenty-four hours in the hospital they had sent her home with a good-luck and a smile. That had been a truly terrifying moment, when they had told her she was ready to take the baby home. She was still tired from the labor, and was barely sleeping as she was trying to get Ada into breastfeeding. Then all of a sudden she was going home, alone, with a baby.

But of course she wasn't really alone. Penny, Bernadette and her mother came by frequently helping out and fawning over Ada. Then there was Sheldon. He had barely left her side since they first went to the hospital.

Before Amy was discharged Penny had taken Sheldon home to shower and rest for a few hours. When he returned he had a duffle bag with him. Seeing the question on her face Sheldon said he would stay with Amy and help her get Ada onto a schedule.

Amy had told him that it was unnecessary but didn't push when he insisted. She was relieved that someone else would be there. And she was ecstatic that Sheldon was showing such an interest in her daughter. Children and Sheldon Cooper didn't seem to mix, but here he was helping out at every step.

After his initial hesitation with holding her, Sheldon jumped right into the swing of things. He held her, rocked her, he had even tried to help with breastfeeding.

At first Ada had seemed reluctant to nurse and after several failed attempts Amy had become frustrated. Sheldon had watched the lactation therapist and would try to help whenever possible. It was a little weird at first. Sheldon had never seen Amy topless before and now Amy worried he would have high expectations. That was silly thought to have, she had to remind herself that they were only friends now, and there would be no reason for Sheldon to see her breasts in the future.

Sheldon had yet to change a diaper but Amy didn't care. He did so much more for her, she would never be able to fully thank or repay him. Even when she was being discharged from the hospital, he had insisted that she just stay with the baby. He had filled out all of the forms and collected all the information and Ada's birth certificate from the hospital.

He had even insisted on filing all of it safely away as soon as they had arrived to her apartment. Amy hadn't even seen the birth certificate yet. She kept meaning to go have a look at it, but she was so tired and Ada required a lot f attention.

The first few days at home were a blur of napping, diaper changing, nursing and repeat. Amy never felt that she got a full night's sleep as Ada would wake for a feeding every few hours. Amy really needed to get a breast pump, then at least Sheldon could give Ada a bottle sometimes.

Fatigue had really worn down some of Sheldon's idiosyncrasies. He was no longer on his normal schedule but he didn't complain. Ada had spit up on him several times by now and he just cleaned it up without a freak out. He had even begun to sleep in the bed next to Amy.

At first Sheldon had slept on the couch but it was not very comfortable for someone so tall. Plus Ada's crib was in Amy's room so he ended up in there many times during the night. On about the third night Amy had awoke to find Sheldon sleeping beside her. It had given her a warm fuzzy feeling all over. She laid there and watched him for a while.

She could almost pretend that they were a real family, Mom and Dad in bed with baby sleeping near by. It was something Amy had dreamed about for as long as she could remember and now she was so close to it actually being true.

Slowly but surely Ada got into a bit of a routine and Amy thanks to pumping was able to sleep more during the night. Though sometimes when Ada awoke Amy would just pretend to sleep as she watched Sheldon give Ada a bottle. He was so gentle with her, he would just rock her and hum a little song. Amy wasn't sure what song, but it was probably something his mother had sung to him as a child.

Amy imagined that soon enough Ada would insist on hearing "Soft Kitty" when she was sick. This was of course the times when Amy would let her imagination run free. She would envision that Sheldon continued to stay with them and they would create their own little family.

Other times Amy reminded herself not to have such big expectations. Soon Sheldon would need to return to work and he would go back to sleeping at his apartment when he felt satisfied that Ada and Amy would be okay.

But for now Amy would enjoy his company and his help.

After two weeks at home Sheldon was alternating nights with Amy and at home. The nights when he was away felt very lonely, sometimes Amy would feel that Ada was being particularly cute and she wished Sheldon had been there to see it too.

Today he was due to be back. Penny came over in the early afternoon to spend time with her 'niece' as she called Ada. Thanks to this Amy had actually managed to get a shower, have a meal and put on some clean clothes. She felt like a new person, and a little bit more like herself.

She and Penny chatted a bit as Penny rocked Ada after giving her a bottle. When their topic of conversation came to Ada's birthday Amy remembered she still hadn't seen her birth certificate.

She made her way to the filling cabinet and fished through it until she found the folder that Sheldon had so carefully labeled with Ada's name. Pulling it out Amy got the shock of her life. There as clear as day it said Ada Marie Cooper.

"What the.."

"What? What's wrong?" Penny asked as she moved to put Ada down in her pack'n play.

"I don't know what happened but they got her name wrong."

Penny looked over Amy's shoulder with a gasp. "Did they think Sheldon was the father? How did they know his name?"

"I don't know." Amy finally tore her eyes away from the name to read over the rest. And sure enough under Father, it listed Sheldon Lee Cooper.

"How the hell? I don't understand, how did they get Sheldon's information?" Amy was in such shock she couldn't think straight.

"I think he gave it to them." Penny said slowly.

"What? Why would you say that?"

"Look at the bottom, where is says parental signature. He signed it."

By now Amy's hands were shaking so much that Penny had to steady the paper so she could read it.

There it was, Dr. Sheldon Cooper, scrawled across the bottom.

Amy didn't know what to think. She wasn't even sure how she felt about this.

Sheldon had written himself down as Ada's father. He had given her his name. Overwhelmed Amy sat down and cried.

Penny sat beside her and tried to console her with a hug.

"Are you okay Amy? Are you angry or happy about this?"

"I don't know. Why would he do that? And without asking me?"

"Oh sweetie I don't know. You know he loves you so much, he probably thought he was doing the right thing by taking responsibility for Ada."

"But I don't want him to feel that he has to be responsible for her."

"Amy when you love someone you feel responsible for them no matter what."

"What should I do Penny?"

"He's coming over tonight, yes?"

Amy nodded

"Okay, so you have to ask him. For all we know he did it by accident when he was sleep deprived. Then will just take it from there."

Amy was suddenly filled with fear. What would Sheldon say, what if it was just some big misunderstanding?

Thankfully Penny agreed to stay to watch over Ada so Amy and Sheldon could talk.

But the longer Amy waited to more upset she became. If Sheldon had purposely put himself down as the father that was a very brazen act. He had done it behind her back and Amy was beginning to suspect that his desire to collect the documents and file them was just to keep her from finding out.

By the time Sheldon arrived Amy was practically fuming, no matter what Penny said.

But he hadn't come alone. Leonard trailed in right behind him. Leonard was playing chauffer as Penny's car was in the shop. Penny quickly scooted him, herself and Ada into the bedroom.

Then Amy rounded on Sheldon.

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" Amy pushed the birth certificate roughly into his hands.

Sheldon took a moment to look it over, though he knew instantly what she was talking about. The truth was he still didn't really know why he had done it and he was desperately trying to come up with some sort of explanation.

When Amy began to tap her foot he knew he was out of time, so he said the only thing he could think of… "I'm sorry."

Amy was silent for a moment. "So you did this on purpose? You put yourself down as Ada's father and signed a legal document with a lie?"

From the bedroom Amy and Sheldon could hear a muffled "What?" followed quickly by Penny shushing.

Before Sheldon could say anything else Amy continued.

"Ada has a father you know. You had no right to put your name down, especially without discussing it with me."

All of a sudden Sheldon was angry as well. "Ada may have a biological father, but that is all he is to her! You told me yourself that that Josh guy or whatever didn't want to have anything to do with her."

"That's not the point Sheldon. You can't just go around lying about things like this. I don't even understand why you would do that."

Sheldon sank down onto the couch. "I don't know why I did it either." He said in a low voice that seemed almost sad to Amy.

Amy sat down too, but she didn't say anything.

"When the nurse gave me the forms to fill out you were asleep. I thought I would just do it for you. But when I tried to write down Fowler, it just didn't seem to suit her. I was looking at her and I kept thinking that this was your baby and I love you and I loved her."

Amy felt tears prick her eyes. Sheldon had never told her he loved her before. And here he was saying he loved her, and he loved her daughter.

Misunderstanding her tears Sheldon continued. "I'm very sorry Amy. I'm sure we can have it fixed."

Amy's throat was so tight she could only shake her head before throwing her arms around Sheldon.

She only cried harder when she felt him hug her back.

They stayed that way for awhile before Penny and Leonard slowly crept back into the room.

"So what are you guys going to do?" Leonard asked shyly.

Sheldon and Amy pulled apart.

"I'd like to be Ada's father." Sheldon said in a questioning manner.

"I'd like that too." Amy replied.

She let out a small laugh as Penny gave a small excited scream and pulled her into a hug.

Leonard clapped Sheldon on the back and said "Congratulations Dad!"

Later that night when Ada woke for 2am feeding Sheldon warmed a bottle and sat in the rocking chair to feed her. It felt very natural now to hold her. He enjoyed these times with her so much. He was gently humming one of his favorite lullabies when Amy came to look over his shoulder.

"She likes this song." Sheldon told her, "She always watches me when I sing it to her."

Amy smiled. "I think she just likes watching her daddy."

Sheldon considered this for a moment. "Maybe." He said though he suspected it was probably true, he was a very interesting man after all.

*******Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I think there's one more chapter left. Hopefully I can get it posted for you all soon. Cheers!


End file.
